The Eight Kryptonians
by Xx.maddy-sparx.xX
Summary: Smallville: Clark has a twin sister. Some things on Krypton were different too. Supernatural: Sam meets up with said twin sister. What happens when Dean and Sam head to Smallville to talk to their brother Jason? Currently AU.
1. Pilot

Summary: - Smallville: Clark has a twin sister. Some things on Krypton were different too. Supernatural: Sam meets up with said twin sister. What happens when Dean and Sam head to Smallville to talk to their brother Jason? Currently AU.

**The Eight Earth Kryptonians  
****A/N Ahem. Now. Concrit and/or questions are welcome. Reviews are welcome. Also, despite being AU, this story follows canon for a **_**long **_**time.**

**This is the ONLY Disclaimer you will read in my story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, or Supernatural. Poor me. I do own Aurora Kent and Jared Hartney, along with Kara and Jacob. I'm not making any money. Thank you.  
****  


* * *

Pilot – First Chapter  
Somewhere just past the moon...**  
Above the Earth, a deadly shower of meteors hurtles towards its preordained destination: Smallville, Kansas, United States of America, Earth. Amongst the meteors hides the true reason for the apparently random event – a small spaceship, only just big enough to hold two children in its belly.

**

* * *

Smallville, 1989**  
Martha Kent stepped out of the flower shop and sighed. If only... but no, she mustn't think about that. _I'm so lucky already, _she thought. _What right do I have to ask for more?_ But that didn't stop her from wishing. She walked over to the truck and got in. As she stared out the window up at the cloudless blue sky, she whispered, "I wish..."

"Hey," said Jonathan. "I know what you wished for back there."

"It's all I ever wanted," she replied smiling. "A little face, to depend on me..."

Jonathan leaned over and kissed her on the lips gently, but was interrupted by car horns beeping. They both looked out the window. "Looks like the Crows won again," he said as cars decorated in red and yellow with people waving red and yellow pom-poms out the windows and out the back drove past. He smiled at Martha and started the truck.

**

* * *

Just outside the Earth's atmosphere**  
The meteor shower that would change Smallville forever sped up, having almost reached its destination. The spaceship shuddered as it entered the atmosphere that would nurture its contents into adulthood. The boy and girl inside huddled closer together as the girl said something in a strange language. The boy replied quietly and put his arms around his sister as they hurtled towards Earth.

**Back to Smallville**  
Jonathan drove along the familiar road to the Kent farm. Just a normal day, like any other – until a ball of fire hurtled through the sky towards the town. Martha turned to look back at the town and another meteor struck the ground behind them only a few metres away.

"What's happening Jonathan?" she screamed as the ground shuddered.

She turned back to the front of the truck and screamed again as another meteor skidded across the road a little bit ahead.

Jonathan yanked the wheel to the side as they drove into the cloud of black dust. The next thing he knew, he was upside down in the truck.

His first thought was for his wife and he turned to check on her. When he saw that she was all right, he sighed and turned to look outside at the devastation.

What he saw instead made him blink. _ I must be hallucinating,_ he thought, and instinctively called out, "Martha?"

Martha turned to look at her husband, but her eyes were immediately drawn outside to what he had seen.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

Two small, naked children – _they can't be more than three, _she thought – were crouched down looking into the truck at Jonathan and Martha. The little blonde girl smiled and said something in a strange language, which the dark-haired boy replied to in the same language.

The little boy walked over to Jonathan's door, grabbed hold of the handle and ripped it off as casually as if he had been snapping a twig. Martha gaped at him before she heard a sound on the other side of her. She turned to look out of her own window and saw the little girl outside her window.

Her brain wasn't working at full speed, and it took her a moment to realize that the girl wasn't even touching the door. Instead, it was simply coming off its hinges, which possibly had something to do with the fact that the girl was staring at it intently.

Jonathan still couldn't take it in as he climbed out of the truck and looked down at the boy. _He's so small! _he thought. He turned around just in time to see Martha climb out and scoop the little girl into her arms.

"Do we have any towels or something Jonathan?" she asked.

"I think so. I'll get them out," he answered, watching her coo to the child in her arms. He knelt down inside the truck, trying to think of how to break it to her. He pulled out two red towels and wrapped one around the boy, picking him up one-armed as he did so.

The child seemed to find this immensely funny and called out to the girl - _are they siblings? _Jonathan wondered as he threw the other towel to Martha. She wrapped it around the little girl and walked over to Jonathan.

"Sweetheart..." Jonathan began. "You know we can't keep them."

Martha looked at Jonathan but said nothing as they started walking. "I mean, what are we going to tell people? That we found them in a field?"

Martha looked down at the girl in her arms who smiled and laughed at her expression. Martha smiled and said, "We didn't find them, Jonathan. They found us."

Jonathan sighed and said, "Kids don't just fall out of the sky, Martha."

"Well, where did they come from?" she retorted. Martha was determined to keep these kids.

"I don't know. But – I mean, they must have parents," replied Jonathan as they climbed up a small mound. He looked down into the hole in front of them and stared. Inside the crater was – well he didn't know what it was, but it definitely hadn't come from Earth.

"Well if they do, they're definitely not from Kansas," said Martha.

**

* * *

Later on at the Kent farm**  
There was a knock at the door. "Quickly, Martha," said Jonathan, "Take them upstairs."

Martha nodded and grabbed ahold of the children, pulling them upstairs. Jonathan opened the door.

"Ethan! How are you doing after what happened?" he greeted Ethan Craft, the town sheriff.

"I'm fine Jonathan," said Ethan, "I actually came to check in on you and Martha."

"We're perfectly okay," Jonathan assured him, in a hurry to make him leave. He kept the door open and stood well between Ethan and the inside of the house.

"Well, I'd better get back into town..." Ethan trailed off as he heard the sound of feet pattering down the stairs.

The two children ran in with Martha behind them, "Hey! You two! Get back here!" she exclaimed and stopped when she saw Ethan. They started to giggle as Martha grabbed their shoulders and pulled them towards her.

"What's this Jonathan?" asked Ethan.

"Well... um..." Jonathan was lost for words but fortunately, Martha wasn't.

"We just picked them up from Metropolis today Ethan," she invented. "We were on our way home when the meteors hit."

"Well, it's nice that some good came out of this fiasco," said Ethan, smiling. "Are they twins?" he asked.

"Ummm... yes! Yes, they are," said Martha.

"Oh. And what are their names?" Ethan enquired.

"Ummm..." said Martha, desperately trying to think of a name. "Well, umm..." Suddenly she had a brainwave. "The boy's name is Clark," she said. "'Cause of my maiden name."

"Clark Kent," said Ethan thoughtfully. "Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? And what about the girl?"

Martha was completely stumped until Jonathan stepped up behind Ethan and said, "Her name is Aurora, Ethan. We're gonna call her Rory for short."

"Yes!" exclaimed Martha. "Rory. My mother's middle name." She smiled at her husband.

Ethan smiled and said, "I think it's perfect. Well, I guess I'll see you round then." He left and Jonathan looked at Martha who was smiling happily.

"I guess we have to keep them now!" she said.

Jonathan sighed and shook his head, inwardly somehow grateful.

**

* * *

Smallville, 2000**  
Clark Kent sat in his room, reading articles on his computer at superspeed when the door burst open. "Clark! Hurry up, or you'll miss the bus!" his twin sister Aurora said to him.

"I'm coming," Clark replied automatically.

"Well, hurry up!" she said.

"Why?" Clark retorted.

"Cause Chloe and Pete have a bet on that you'll miss the bus today, and if you miss it I'm gonna bet them both that even though you missed the bus you're still gonna beat them to school!" Rory replied. "Which, of course, could possibly endanger our entire existence, but what the hell."

Clark shook his head and supersped around his room, cleaning it, got changed and went downstairs. He then grabbed a piece of toast as it popped out of the toaster and ran outside. Rory supersped down the stairs after him and said "Hah! Told you I could move him Mom!"

Martha smiled at her daughter. When she'd realized how much Rory stood out from the people around her, she had had her doubts about Rory fitting in but so far nobody had noticed any of the strange things that sometimes happened when Rory lost her temper.

Rory went back to her seat and finished eating her cereal. "Mom? I think Clark wants to ask you guys something, so try not to be too hard on him okay?" she told Martha.

"Okay Rory, I'll tell your father when he comes in," replied Martha. "You know Clark's taking a very long time with his chores," she said worriedly.

"Oh don't worry, he's probably just talking to Dad," Rory assured her mother.

Seconds later Clark supersped up to the fridge, opened it, took out a juice carton and started drinking straight from the carton.

"Hey! Where did you learn your manners?" said Martha accusingly as she took the carton off Clark.

"On a farm?" he replied jokingly.

Rory rolled her eyes at this early morning ritual and Martha put the carton back in the fridge just as Jonathan came in. "Good morning sleepy-head," he said to Rory.

"Ha! Sleepy-head? I've been awake for ages!" Rory retorted. Clark then rolled his eyes at their early morning ritual... only it wasn't so much early morning as I'm-going-to-miss-the-bus-and-I'm-almost-late morning.

Jonathan went over to the fridge and pulled out the juice carton and... started drinking straight from the carton. Martha glared at him. "What?" said Jonathan.

Rory laughed and said to her parents, "I gotta go or I'll _miss the bus_," she said, emphasising the last words for Clark.

"I'm getting there," he said, "I just gotta ask them something."

"What's that you got there Clark?" asked Jonathan as Rory grabbed her bag and left.

"It's a form, Dad," said Clark, "I need you to sign it so I can play football."

Jonathan looked at Martha and Clark knew immediately what was coming. _It's not fair,_ he thought. _Not fair.  
_  
"Clark," Jonathan began, "You know that if you played football you could accidently use your abilities on someone. It's not safe." Sensing that his son was upset, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's tough son, but you just gotta hang in there," he said.

Clark looked down at the table and said, "I'm tired of hanging in there." Looking up at his father he said, "All I wanna do is go through high school without being a total loser." He grabbed his bag and walked out.

Jonathan looked at Martha and sighed. Raising kids was hard, but it was even harder when they had superpowers. It was especially confusing as Rory could do some things that Clark couldn't. Clark was also stronger than she was and Rory had some kind of defect in her invulnerability.

She could get hurt, even shot and it would only kick in if something really bad happened like an explosion. At least, they hoped it would. Rory was also much faster than Clark.

Clark walked down the driveway with his bag on his back. He stared at the ground as he thought, _A part of me knows that they have a point. I mean, what if I'm running and I flash into "Clark mode"? Or what if I was throwing the ball to someone and I accidentally used my superstrength?_

Clark was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of the bus pulling away. He looked up just as it started to drive off. "Damn it!" he cursed as he ran down the drive, slowing to a stop as he realized that someone had just won money on him.

Then suddenly he smiled as he remembered what else Rory had said to him this morning. _ Well, if someone's gonna be winning money on me, I might as well make it my sister! _he thought. He then supersped off into the cornfields towards Smallville High.

**

* * *

A/N I know the TV show said that Clark first used his powers after Jonathan and Martha officially adopted him, but there was a book based on the pilot episode that I read, which I based this chapter and the following four on. So that's the reason for any differences between the TV version and this one.**


	2. Pilot Part 2

**Pilot – Second Chapter  
Just after Rory has left the house…**  
Rory ran down the drive to the front of the farm and found Lana Lang, her best friend standing there waiting for her. "Hey Lana!" Rory greeted her. "How are you?"

"I'm great Rory," Lana replied. "Where's Clark?"

"He's asking the 'rents for something; I'm not sure what though," answered Rory.

"He's gonna be late again," sighed Lana.

Before Rory could respond, the bus had pulled up in front of them. They climbed on and Rory led Lana to the seat just in front of Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross, Clark's two best friends. The bus doors closed and they drove off.

"I cannot believe you bet against your best friend," Chloe said to Pete as she handed him a 10 dollar note.

"Statistical fact: if Clark Kent moved any slower he'd be extinct," replied Pete smugly.

Upon hearing this, Rory couldn't help but laugh. She turned to them and said, "Hey, I bet you that even though Clark missed the bus, he'll still get to school before we do."

"You're on," said Pete immediately. "Ten dollars?"

"Ten dollars," agreed Rory.

"So. What are you gonna wear to the dance?" said Lana to Rory as they turned away. Chloe rolled her eyes and said to Pete condescendingly, "Cheerleaders."

"Cheerleaders," repeated Pete in an entirely different tone that meant an entirely different thing. Chloe smacked him on the arm. "What? What did I do?" he asked her, to which she shook her head and turned to stare out the window. _Girls, _thought Pete.

**

* * *

At school**  
Rory climbed off the bus and followed Lana over to a group of some girls they knew who were talking about (what else?) the homecoming dance. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Clark greet Chloe and Pete as they climbed off the bus. She laughed when she saw Chloe's shocked expression and returned to the conversation. _I'll get my money later,_ she thought to herself.

Clark walked up to Pete and Chloe as they got off the bus. "Hey guys," he said to them casually.

Chloe's mouth dropped open. "But… I mean… Didn't you… You missed the bus!" she stuttered.

"Oh, I took a shortcut," replied Clark innocently.

Chloe recovered her powers of speech and said sarcastically, "Through what, a black hole?"

_Damn, _thought Pete. _Now I owe Rory ten dollars._ _Oh well, I guess I kinda walked into it – she must've known that one of their parents would drop them off._ Snapping out of his thoughts he said to Clark, "Did you get it?"

"Get what?" asked Chloe.

Clark knew what Pete was talking about and said uncomfortably, "Actually, Pete, I'm not so sure I want to do it anymore."

"What are you guys talking about?" inquired Chloe again.

"No way, man," said Pete. "It's the only way!"

"Okay you guys have exactly 5 seconds to tell me what is going on or I'll implode!" exclaimed Chloe.

Pete pulled Chloe into a corner and said to her quietly, "Clark and I are gonna sign up for the football team."

Chloe laughed and said, "What is this, some kind of teen suicide pact?"

Pete shushed her and glanced around nervously. "We're trying to avoid becoming this year's scarecrow," he whispered.

"What are you talking about?" asked Chloe quietly, "and why are we whispering?" she said in a much louder voice.

Pete said to her, "It's tradition. Every year, on the night of the homecoming dance, the jocks take the nerdiest freshman in the school out to Evan's field.

Clark added, "Then they strip him down to his boxers, paint a red 'S' on his chest and tie him to the scarecrow stakes."

Chloe laughed again and said, "You guys really think _you're_ in danger? If they tied you up Clark then Rory would dump Jared and no doubt Lana would dump Whitney too! Not only that, but she'd make their lives hell." Chloe shuddered and said, "I would hate to be any member of the 'in crowd' trying to hurt you Clark."

Clark hadn't thought of that. "Well, I guess I'm pretty much safe then."

"So therefore you don't need to sign up for the football team!" exclaimed Chloe.

Clark mumbled, "Yeah, I guess so." He looked up and time seemed to slow down because there was… Lana Lang. His sister's best friend, their next-door neighbour and Clark's big-time crush.

Making his decision, he said to Pete and Chloe, "I'll see you guys later." Without taking his eyes off Lana, he walked towards her.

Pete looked in the direction Clark was and smiled. He pulled out the 10 dollar note Chloe had given him earlier and said, "5 feet."

"10," said Chloe confidently, also smiling as they watched Clark walk towards Lana. Chloe started a countdown, "5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

As if on cue, Clark stumbled and fell, dropping all of his books on the ground.

"Statistical fact," said Chloe smugly as she grabbed the note out of Pete's hand. "Clark Kent can't get within 10 feet of Lana Lang without turning into a total freakshow. " She walked off leaving Pete to look over at Clark, who was now being helped up by Rory and Lana. Pete shrugged and ran after Chloe. _After all, he's in good hands.  
_  
Rory heard the sound of some poor kid's books hitting the pavement. She immediately turned around to see who it was and went over when she realized it was her brother. "Hey Clark, are you all right?" she asked concerned. Lana came over and started picking up some of his books as Clark said quietly to his sister, "Yeah Rors, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Rory asked. "I mean, you don't look so good. Maybe you should go inside." Clark got the message loud and clear. What Rory was actually saying was: _Get the hell out of here Clark! Meteor rocks don't exactly have a fantastic effect on our health. _

A melodious voice interrupted his thoughts. "I didn't know you had a dark side, Clark," said Lana as she handed him his books.

Clark managed to smile at her and said queasily, "Doesn't everybody?"

Lana continued to smile at Clark as she said, "Yeah, I guess so. So what are you? Man or superman?"

Clark said to her, "I haven't figured it out yet." Clark continued to smile at her and she at him. _You know, if I didn't feel so sick this right here would be a perfect moment,_ thought Clark happily. Until...

"Hey Lana," said Whitney Fordman, star football player and... Lana's boyfriend. Clark's perfect moment came crumbling down as Lana looked up at Whitney and smiled at him. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then pulled away as she said, "Hey Whitney."

Whitney then looked at Clark and said, "Hello Clark." Clark noticed his voice was a little hostile now.

"Hello Whitney," replied Clark.

"Hey, Whitney, do you know where Jared is?" Rory asked him.

"Oh, when I left he was talking strategy with Coach," Whitney explained to her before turning to Clark and saying, "Bye Clark." Noticing a book on the ground he said, "Oh, here, you forgot one." He picked it up and shoved it into Clark's arms causing him to drop all of his books again. Whitney then pulled Lana away as Rory scowled at him.

She turned to Clark and said in a single quiet breath, "Clark, you know you can't go near Lana while she's wearing her necklace, we worked that out ages ago!

Clark snapped at her, "Well maybe you should just learn how to turn off the pain for someone other than yourself!" He grabbed his books and walked off. Rory scowled at his back and went inside the school building just as the bell went.

**

* * *

LuthorCorp, Smallville  
**Lex Luthor pulled up at his new company and got out of his brand-new silver Porsche. He looked around – apart from the LuthorCorp, there was nothing around but cornfields. "Thanks Dad," he muttered sarcastically under his breath and went inside.

**

* * *

On that random bridge... DUN DUN DUN  
**Clark stared off the bridge into the cold dark water, thinking even darker thoughts about how having inexplicable superpowers sucked.

"Hey Clark," he heard Rory say to him. "Mom got kinda worried when I went home without you so she asked me to come look for you."

"I'm fine Rors," he said. "I just – I just wish that we could be –"

"Normal?" Rory laughed. "Trust me Clark, normal is way over-rated."

"That's easy for you to say," grumbled Clark. "Your powers are amazing. I mean come on! If you decide you don't like the colour of your wallpaper all you have to do is wave your hand or blink your eyes or snap your fingers or whatever it is you do and it's different! And if you were to decide that you want the book sitting on your desk, you just gotta hold your hand out for it and whoosh! Hey presto!"

**

* * *

Meanwhile...**  
_Thank God I'm finally out_ thought Lex. _Note to self: do all future work at home._ Lex's phone rang and he picked it up. "Lex Luthor," he said briskly and conversation ensued.

**

* * *

**Barry blinked his eyes and yawned. _Almost there, _he thought. Barry was a barbed wire deliverer and he was currently taking a big load to a farm about 20km out of Smallville. Unbeknownst to him, one of the straps holding his barbed wire down had started to come loose. Just as Barry was driving over a bridge, the strap broke and the wire rolled off the back, rolling itself out as it did so.

Barry drove on, completely unaware of the pain his inattentiveness would cause.

**

* * *

**Lex drove past a truck trundling along, going in the opposite direction to him. He glanced around: apart from the truck, there were no vehicles for miles. Lex smiled slightly and pressed the accelerator down until he was going 60 miles/hour. _Man, I love fast cars,_ Lex thought to himself as he continued driving.

**

* * *

**Rory stared at Clark. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?" she asked. Clark normally wasn't as pessimistic as this.

"It's just… well; you know I've had a crush on Lana ever since we were little. And I know she's been going out with Whitney for a while now but still. I guess… I just always liked the idea of going to something special with her," Clark said morosely.

"Cheer up Clark," said Rory. "There's always prom, not to mention graduation. Now, do you wanna go home and have dinner?"

Clark was still looking down at his hands as he pondered the question. He looked up at Rory and started to say something when suddenly his eyes grew wide. Rory realized something was wrong but never got the chance to ask as a split second after she realized it she felt someone – _Clark? _– grab her and throw her bodily to the side.

Rory immediately jumped to her feet, her heart pounding and adrenaline pumping as she registered what was happening. A silver Porsche had struck Clark – everything slowed down – she watched in horror as he rolled up onto the hood and then fell in.


	3. Pilot Part 3

**Pilot – Third Chapter**  
Clark felt himself falling through the air slowly and twisted his body over so he could see what was going on. The water sprayed up around him as he fell into the river. He could see the car drifting in front of him and supersped towards it. He ripped the roof off just as a voice yelled _Clark! _inside his head. _Clark, are you all right?_

_I'm perfectly fine Rors, the other guy's not though,_ Clark thought back. _Just give me a sec._

_Gotcha, _came the reply before Rory withdrew from their connection.

Clark grabbed the guy, experienced a moment of shock as he realised the man was bald, and dragged him to the shore. Rory was standing there, and when Clark pulled him out, she knelt down and leaned over his chest.

Listening to his heartbeat Rory said, "His heart's beating but it's really faint. And I can hear water in his lungs."

"Right. Well, you do something about that and I'll call the police and an ambulance," said Clark.

"Speaking of the authorities…" Rory said as she placed her hands on the man's chest. "How are we gonna explain the fact that you're not hurt?

Suddenly what had happened caught up with Clark. "Rory…" he whispered. "That car hit me. How fast do you think it was going? I mean look at what happened to the bridge. It's got a gigantic hole in it! I know I don't bruise easily and I can touch hot stuff without getting burnt and sharp things without getting cut but… Anybody else would've died," he said the last bit in a voice so low that no-one could have heard it – except Rory of course.

Suddenly the bald guy started to cough up water and Rory leaned back on her heels. He looked up at her and his eyes widened. "Am I dead?" he asked.

"No," replied Rory. "My brother dived in after you and pulled you out of the car."

He looked up at Clark and said puzzled, "But… I could've sworn I hit you." He looked back at Rory and her face was the last thing he saw before blacking out.

Clark, however, didn't realize this and said to him, "If you had, I'd be…" He trailed off and looked at Rory, then at the bridge. "I'd be dead," he finished.

**

* * *

About 20 minutes later**  
"All right, well, that should be all," said the officer interviewing Clark. "You don't seem to be hurt and neither does your sister, so you're both welcome to leave."

"Thank you, officer," replied Clark. The man left and Clark walked over to his sister, sighing a little in relief. "Know who the other guy is yet?" he asked her.

"Nope," she answered, "But he's pretty important from the looks of things."

"Clark! Rory!" called the voice of their father. He walked quickly over to them and hugged Rory as he said, "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine Dad," came Rory's slightly muffled voice from his jacket. He let go of her enough to let her breathe and said angrily, "Who was the maniac driving that car?"

"That would be me," came the answer before Rory or Clark could say anything. The bald man held his hand out to Jonathan and said, "Lex Luthor."

Jonathan ignored the hand and looked at Lex condescendingly. Finally deciding to answer he said brusquely, "Jonathan Kent. And these," he gestured to Clark and Rory, "are my children."

Lex decided to ignore his rude brush-off and said, "You have two," here he paused, searching for the right word, "_extraordinary_ kids there Mr. Kent." His eyes flicked to Rory. "If there's any way I can repay you…"

"Drive slower," said Jonathan shortly. "Come on Clark – Rory." With one final look at Lex, Jonathan left with Clark and Rory.

_God, she's beautiful,_ was Lex's next thought. He shook himself a little and reminded himself that he didn't even know who she was, and that her father and most likely her brother too were very overprotective. _Still…_

Lex turned to look at the crane pulling his ruined car out of the river to take his mind off it. He frowned when he saw it and thought, _There's no way the roof could have come off like that when I hit the bridge._

So how had that happened?

**

* * *

At the Kent farm that night  
**Rory only had enough time to glimpse the Kent kitchen before her mother hugged her so hard she thought she might snap.

"Mom," she complained cheerfully, "I'm fine, Clark's fine, Lex was fine, we're all fine, but I won't be for much longer if you don't let go of me!"

"Sorry," said Martha, letting go of her daughter and latching onto Clark. "But what happened? We just got a call about an accident on the bridge and then your father took off." She glared at her husband who smiled at her innocently and shrugged.

"Well," said Clark who, seeing as he was invulnerable, wasn't hurt by his mother's hug, "I was on the bridge thinking when Rory came up. We talked for a while, and then she asked if I wanted to go home now. So I looked up at her and this car was coming towards us. I knew I only had a split second to respond and I knew that Rory's invulnerability doesn't work very well so I grabbed her by the arms and threw her to the side. The car hit me; I fell in, ripped the top of the car off, pulled Lex out and swam to shore. The end."

"Yeah," interjected Rory, "but not quite the end. I used my powers to move the water out of his lungs, he came to for like 5 seconds then he went unconscious again. Clark called an ambulance and told them about the accident, I made up the story that we hadn't been hit and that Clark had dived in after him and pulled him out."

"Show-off," muttered Clark and Rory stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go have a shower. Sorry for worrying you, Mom, and you too, Dad," said Rory.

**

* * *

After dinner in the barn loft**  
Clark leant over his telescope and looked up at the sky. He then glanced around the loft and when he turned back to the telescope, it had 'slipped' down so it was instead pointing at his next-door neighbour's house. He looked through the lens and smiled when he saw Lana walk over to the chair outside her house and sit down.

Then his heart sank as Whitney came up behind her and hugged her. He watched as they talked for a while. His heart sank even further as he watched Lana take off her precious meteor rock necklace and put it around his neck instead.

_Why would Lana do that?_ he thought, already knowing the answer but not wanting to think it. _That necklace is the most important materialistic thing in the world to her. Rory said she hasn't taken it off since the day she got it._ Clark put the telescope away and went back into the house.

**

* * *

The next day when Clark and Rory arrive home from school**  
Clark walked up the driveway thinking about the events of the past day. Rory walked next to him, however while Clark was looking at the ground, Rory was looking around at the farm. Then she saw something that made her exclaim and run forward. Jolted out of his thoughts, Clark looked up and saw what Rory had: a brand new red truck with a big bow on the front. "Whoa," breathed Clark.

"Mom! Who belongs to this?" asked Rory reverently.

"You and Clark do," said Martha smiling. "Oh – here's the card."

Clark supersped up and grabbed it out of her hand before Rory could. "Dear Clark and Rory, always in your debt, the maniac in the Porsche." He looked at the truck and said, "It's ours??"

"Awesome!" yelled Rory. "Where are the keys?"

The smile on their mother's face changed. Now it was less of an I'm-so-happy-for-you-two smile and more of a you're-gonna-have-a-really-hard-time-of-it-now smile. "Your father has it," she said to them, pointing at the barn.

Rory groaned which explained Clark's feelings exactly. "Come on, let's go," he said to her. She followed without replying. They walked into the barn and saw their father working with a mulcher.

He saw them standing there, turned the mulcher off, pulled his earmuffs off and walked over to them. "You can't have it guys," he said preparing himself for a fight.

"Why not?" asked Clark.

"Do you know where the money that bought that truck came from Clark?" their father asked them. "That money came from dishonesty and broken promises."

Now Rory spoke up. "Dad, did you consider that maybe this is just a thank-you gift? I mean, if it wasn't for us, he'd be dead by now."

"So you think you deserve a prize?" Jonathan shot back.

"No," said Rory. "Listen, how about you drive the new truck and we'll drive the old one? Everybody wins!"

"It's not about winning Rory, it's about living a normal life!" Jonathan said frustratedly.

"Yeah? Well what's more normal than fighting over who gets to drive the truck tonight Dad?" asked Rory.

Clark had finally had it so he spoke his mind. "Normal?" he said loudly. They both turned to look at him as he walked over to the mulcher. Holding up his arm and shaking it, he said, "Is this normal?" Clark turned the mulcher on and shoved his hand into it.

Rory shook her head dispassionately, but Jonathan panicked and ran forward. He grabbed ahold of Clark's arm and tried to yank it out. Finally succeeding, he stared at the arm in disbelief as he realized that while the shirt's arm was completely gone, Clark was completely fine.

"The story we told the cops was a lie, Dad," Clark said passionately. "I didn't dive in after Lex's car; it hit me at 60 miles an hour." He pulled his arm away from his father and said to him yearningly, "I'd give anything to be normal. But I'm not."

He turned and went upstairs, into the loft. Rory looked at Jonathan then followed her brother up the stairs.

Martha had come in at the end of the argument and said to her husband, "I think you should tell them Jonathan."

"Remind me why I have to do it again?" asked Jonathan. "I mean, you were the one that wanted to keep them."

"Yeah, but you promised you would," laughed Martha.

"No I didn't!" Jonathan protested.

"Well, too bad. You're their father; they should really hear it from you," retorted Martha.

Jonathan sighed and shook his head.

"Don't forget the... you know. The thing," Martha reminded.

"I'm going, I'm going," said Jonathan crossly.

"Good," said Martha. It was time for their kids to know the truth about their powers, not to mention their identity.


	4. Pilot Part 4

**Pilot – Fourth Chapter**  
"Clark..." Rory followed him into the loft where Clark threw himself onto the couch.

"It's not fair," Clark said petulantly.

"Us not getting to keep the truck, or you not getting to be normal?" asked Rory. "Face it Clark: our powers are a gift. They're meant to be used for good. I mean, we could be superheroes if we wanted! Like Spiderman! I mean, he's awesome. We could save lives, just like Spiderman!" she exclaimed getting more and more excited.

"Rory! Calm down. You do realize that Spiderman had problems too, don't you? I mean, he could never get close to Mary-Jane because of his secret," Clark said to her sadly. He looked out the window and said, "You'll never be able get really serious with anybody Rory, and neither will I."

Rory lifted her chin and said strongly, "If I really cared about somebody, I'd be able to tell them. And if they really cared about me, they'd understand."

They both heard the footsteps coming up the stairs into the loft and Rory turned to see Jonathan coming into the loft holding something in his hands. "What's that, Dad?" asked Rory curiously.

Jonathan gave it to her and she looked down at it. It seemed to be some kind of metal diskette with some crystal things sticking out of one end and many strange little symbols on it. She frowned at it and asked him, "What does it say?"

"I don't know. But... we think it's from your parents." Jonathan paused. "Your birth parents."

Clark looked up at this and held out his hand for the diskette. Rory gave it to him and he examined it. "What language is this in?" he asked, despite himself. "Is that... Egyptian or something?"

"No, Clark. It's not," Jonathan said, trying to think of the best way to tell them. "It's... it's not a language spoken," he hesitated, then went on, "on Earth."

"What are you trying to say Dad?" asked Rory, although she had already had a pretty good idea. "Where is it spoken then?"

Jonathan didn't answer her, but instead looked out the window at the sky.

Clark laughed and said, "What does that mean Dad? That we're from another planet?" Jonathan looked at Clark but said nothing. Clark went on sarcastically, "And I suppose you stashed our spaceship in the attic."

Jonathan paused and said to his children, "Actually... it's in the storm cellar."

**

* * *

Storm Cellar**  
Jonathan pulled the tarp off the spaceship and Clark and Rory stared at it. Rory ran her fingers over it and said, "We both fitted into this? It's so small. How did it make it through space?"

"I don't know," answered Jonathan. "But we - your mother and I - think that that's where you get your powers from. And the allergic reactions to the meteor rocks."

Clark was standing well away from the ship. To him, it symbolized the reason he could never be in love; never have a family, never have friends, never be normal. "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" he asked seriously.

Jonathan looked at him and said, "We wanted to protect you."

Clark couldn't take it in. "Protect us from what? You should have told us! I need to be alone," Clark muttered and without further ado, he supersped away from the farm.

Rory sighed and said, "All he wants is to be normal Dad."

"I know," replied Jonathan. He looked at Rory and said, "Do you think he'll ever get used to it?"

"He's gonna have to," she said. "Clark is a good person. He'll realize eventually that he can use his powers to stop people hurting those that he loves."

**

* * *

At the graveyard** **  
**Lana rode up to the gates of the graveyard where her parents were buried and dismounted. She looked down at the flowers she was holding. Suddenly she heard a noise from behind her and she turned. "Who's there?" she called out.

"It's me," came the answer. Clark Kent stepped out of the shadows. "Clark."

From where Lana was standing it looked as though Clark was an angel, with the wings from the statue behind him appearing to come from his shoulders. Lana shook herself mentally and said surprised, "Clark Kent? What are you doing creeping around in the woods?" She took a step towards him and noticed that he seemed to have been crying.

"You'd never believe me if I told you," Clark replied. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He turned to leave.

"Clark, wait," Lana said, stopping him. She walked over to him. "I just wasn't expecting to see anyone out here, that's all. Are you okay?"

"I'm hanging out in a graveyard," Clark responded half-heartedly. "Does that strike you as okay behaviour?"

"Hey," she said. "I'm here too."

Clark sniffed a little and said, "Good point. So what's your story?"

Lana hesitated then said to him, "Can you keep a secret?"

Clark almost laughed at how ironic that question was but instead answered, "I'm the Fort Knox of secrets."

"I... I came out here to talk to my parents," Lana said confidentially. She laughed a little in embarrassment and turned away. "You must think I'm pretty weird. You know, conversing with dead people."

"No, Lana. I don't think you're weird," Clark said to her. He hesitated, looking for something else to say. "Do you remember them?"

"They died when I was three," Lana said sadly.

Clark could have kicked himself. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not your fault Clark," she smiled at him. Lana took his hand and led him over to her parent's graves. "Mom – Dad. I'd like you to meet someone. This is Clark Kent. Rory's twin brother."

"Hi," said Clark self-consciously. He looked at Lana and said awkwardly, "Rory 'met' your parents?"

She smiled and responded, "I tell them about her a lot."

They both squatted down and Lana put her flowers on the ground. She tilted her head as though listening to something and said, "Yeah, he is kind of shy." She listened some more and said, "How should I know?" To Clark she said, "Mom wants to know if you're upset about a girl."

Clark shook his head.

Lana listened some more, then she snorted. "Dad wants to know if you're upset about a guy."

"No! No, I'm not," Clark said hurriedly.

Lana laughed and said, "He has a twisted sense of humour." Clark smiled at her and she said to him curiously, "Seriously Clark, why are you out here?"

Clark paused, then said slowly, "Lana, have you ever felt like your life was supposed to be something different?"

Lana nodded and told him, "Sometimes I dream I'm at school, waiting for Nell to pick me up. But she doesn't come, so my parents drive up. They're not dead, they're just really late. Then I get in their car and we drive back to my real life in Metropolis. That's usually when I wake up. But for a minute, I'm totally happy, until I realize I'm still alone." She turned away and Clark tried to think of a way to cheer her up. Suddenly he had an idea.

"What's that Mrs. Lang?" he said to the grave. Lana turned and looked at him. Clark nodded and said, "Yeah – yeah, I'll tell her." He looked at Lana and said to her, "Your mom wants you to know that you're never alone. That she'll always be looking out for you, no matter what."

Lana smiled at him happily with tears in her eyes. But Clark wasn't done yet. "What's that Mr. Lang?" he asked. He turned back to Lana smiling and said, "And your dad thinks you're a shoo-in for homecoming queen."

Lana laughed and said, "They really said all that?"

"Oh yeah," Clark assured her. "They're quite chatty, once you get them started."

Lana smiled.

**

* * *

Just outside the Kent farm/Lana's house  
**"Thanks for walking me home Clark," Lana said to him as they stopped outside her house.

"Beats creeping around in the woods," Clark said to her happily.

Lana laughed and said to him, "Do you realize this is the longest conversation we've ever had without Rory here to keep the talking flowing?" She stopped walking and paused, then continued, "We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, we should," said Clark comfortably. He looked at her and thought about how pretty she was. Making up his mind, he said in a rush, "So are you going to the dance?"

Lana said, slowly and in a puzzled tone, "Yeah, with Whitney."

Clark cursed himself and said, "Right. Of course."

"Are you going?"

"Nah. Figured I'd sit it out."

Lana smiled. "Well... if you change your mind, I'll save you a dance." She kissed him on the cheek and said, "Goodnight Clark."

She walked away. Clark was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care, cause _Lana Lang_ had just kissed him. Sure, it had only been on the cheek, and she had a boyfriend, but still!

He turned and walked away, not knowing that he was being watched by said boyfriend, who immediately began to concoct a plan. Purpose: get Clark Kent out of the way.

**

* * *

Lex's Mansion the next day**  
Clark and Rory walked up yet another flight of stairs in the Luthor Mansion. "Jesus, how big is this place?" said Rory in awe.

Clark laughed and led her into yet another room. He stopped when he heard a noise. "Listen," he said to Rory and she stopped.

The sound grew louder until suddenly two people dressed in fencing gear came in, still fencing furiously. They stopped moving in the middle of the room and one of them quickly disarmed the other.

Both pulled their masks off and the one who had lost turned and hurled the sword at the wall where it stuck, quivering right next to Clark's head.

"Clark. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," said Lex apologetically. He glanced at Rory and then looked back at Clark. "How did you two get past security?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, well, we kinda just um, squeezed through the bars," said Rory.

"Right," said Lex, not believing her. "So how do you like the new ride?"

"That's actually why we're here," Rory said.

Lex nodded. "Your dad doesn't like me, does he?"

"I don't think it's you. He said something about your father?" Rory said questioningly.

"But, you know. I think that the son or daughter shouldn't be blamed for the sins of their parents," said Clark.

Lex smiled and said, "Open-mindedness will take you far Clark. Do you see things the same way Aurora?"

"Please. Nobody calls me Aurora. Call me Rory, or I'll call you Alexander," Rory said to him humorously. "And yeah, I share Clark's views. You shouldn't be held responsible for what your father did."

"That's good to know," replied Lex, staring at her face. A cough from Clark broke the moment and Clark proceeded to say, "So, nice place, huh?"

Lex looked at Clark and said with raised eyebrows, "Sure."

"It's a... _really _nice place?" Rory offered.

Lex said sarcastically, "Yeah, if you're dead and in the market for something to haunt."

"What she – we meant was that it's… big," Clark amended lamely.

"It's the Luthor ancestral home," Lex said grandly as he led them out of the room, "or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland, stone by stone."

"Yeah, I remember that. The trucks rolled through town for weeks but nobody ever moved in," Rory recalled.

"Oh, my father had no intention of ever living here. He's never even stepped through the front door," Lex said dismissively.

"Then why'd he ship it over?" Clark asked curiously.

Lex led them into his study and got himself a drink of water. "Because he could," he said to them. He held up the glass and said, "Would you like a drink?"

"We aren't thirsty," Clark said.

"Actually..." said Rory reluctantly. "We should probably be getting home. We really only came by to drop off the truck."

She gave him the keys, feeling a slight tingle in her fingers as they brushed against his. She turned to leave with Clark. Lex said, "Just a sec."

They both turned back to face him. "Do you believe a man can fly? Not in an aeroplane, or a helicopter. I mean unsupported by anything. Just by himself," Lex asked them.

Neither of them had the slightest idea how ironic this question was. "People can't fly, Lex," Clark said shortly.

"I did," Lex said quietly. He turned away and continued, "After the accident, when my heart stopped." He turned back to face them. "It was the most exhilarating two minutes of my life. I flew over Smallville, and for the first time, I didn't see a dead end. I saw a new beginning. Thanks to you two, I have a second chance."

Clark looked down and Lex said, now looking at Rory, "We have a future, you two and I. And I don't want anything to stand in the way of our - friendship."

Rory smiled at him and said softly, "I'd like to be friends too, Lex."


	5. Pilot Part 5

Pilot – Chapter 5  
Chloe and Pete were standing in a crowd around a store looking on as an apparently dead man was wheeled out on a stretcher.

"That's the third guy this week," Pete said.

"And they're all former jocks," said Chloe.

Pete tapped Chloe on the shoulder and pointed to a strange guy. "Who's he? I thought I knew everyone in town."

"I don't know," said Chloe. She took a picture of him and said, "Let's check him out." 

* * *

The Torch  
Clark looked at the yearbook from 12 years ago and Rory looked over his shoulder.

"His name's Jeremy Creek," Chloe told them. "This," she pointed to his picture, "is a picture of him 12 years ago. And this," she showed them the picture she had taken of him, "is one I took of him 4 hours ago."

"That's impossible," said Clark disbelievingly. "He'd be like, 26 today. It must be a kid who looks like him."

"My money was on the evil twin theory, til we checked this missing persons," said Pete.

Chloe handed the report to Rory who looked at it and frowned.

"Jeremy disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where he'd been in a coma for 12 years. They say he suffered from massive electrolyte imbalance," Chloe told Clark.

"And that's why he hasn't aged a day," said Rory.

"So you're saying he only just woke up?" Clark asked.

Chloe hesitated and said to him, "Well, no, there was a huge electrical storm, and the hospital's generator went down, and when it came back on, Jeremy was gone."

"The electricity must have charged him up like a battery," Rory said.

"And now he's back in Smallville, putting former jocks in comas. But... why?" Clark said, puzzled.

"Because twelve years ago, Jeremy Creek became the first ever homecoming scarecrow," Pete said to Clark.

Chloe handed him a newspaper clipping. Clark read the headline from it aloud. "Comatose boy found in field, twenty yards from meteor strike." He looked at them all and said, "So he wants revenge."

Chloe nodded and said, "The exposure to the blast must have done something to his body."

"That can't be right," Clark said disbelievingly.

Pete looked at Chloe and said, "I think you better show them."

"Show us what?" Rory inquired.

Pete walked over to a door and Chloe followed. Clark and Rory glanced at each other then followed them.

Pete turned on a light in the room and Rory stared in amazement at the wall. Chloe said, "It started out as a scrapbook and just kind of... mutated."

"What is it?" Rory and Clark asked in unison.

"I call it the Wall of Weird," Chloe said proudly as she stepped in front of it and spread her arms out. "It's every strange, bizarre and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when it all began – when the town went schitzo." She looked at them apprehensively. "So what did you think?"

Clark looked at her then walked towards the Wall and examined it. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Chloe said annoyed, "Do you tell me everything that happens in your life?" She paused and continued, "We all keep secrets Clark."

"Some more than others," murmured Rory quietly. Pete heard her and looked at her puzzled, then decided he must have imagined it.

Clark continued to look at the Wall until he saw the cover of a Time magazine with a little girl in a fairy princess costume crying on it and the words 'HEARTBREAK IN THE HEARTLAND' emblazoned on it. He thought there was something familiar about her and suddenly realized what it was. "Lana?" he asked himself incredulously. He stared at the photo. "My fault. It's all my fault," he repeated dully. He ran out and Pete went to go after him but Rory put her hand on his shoulder."I think he wants to be alone right now Pete," she said to him. He nodded.

Clark walked out of the school with his head down. Suddenly he felt someone grab his shoulder. As he turned around he said, "Chloe just leave me alone."

He finished turning and saw that it was Whitney who had him by the shoulder. "Congratulations Clark," said Whitney coldly. "You're this year's scarecrow."

Clark shoved Whitney away and said angrily, "Don't mess with me right now."

"Come on then," Whitney said belligerently. "Bring it." He was just about to pull of his jacket when Jared came out of the school building.

"Whitney, what the hell are you doing?" Jared hissed at him.

"Preparing this year's scarecrow," Whitney replied.

"Dude, no. He's Rory's twin brother Whitney! Do you want me to be dumped? Do _you_ want to be dumped?" Jared asked him furiously.

"Fine. Stay out of it then Jared. Tell your precious girlfriend you tried to stop me," Whitney said angrily. Turning his attention back to Clark, he asked, "What's going on between you and Lana?"

"Nothing," said Clark, who was starting to feel a little sick. Then he remembered what he'd seen the other night... and that Lana had given Whitney her necklace.Whitney pulled off his jacket and the necklace swung out away from his neck. He punched Clark and Jared yelled, "Whitney, STOP IT!"Clark stared at the necklace around Whitney's neck. Noticing this, Whitney said angrily, "So you like her necklace, do you?" Jared ran forward and tried to pull Whitney off Clark but Whitney turned around and knocked him out with a punch to the side of his head. Jared fell to the ground and Whitney turned back to Clark. He pulled the necklace off of his neck and hissed quietly to Clark, "Enjoy it, cause that's as close as you're ever going to get to her."

He dragged Clark over to his truck and with the help of some other jocks, he lifted him into the back. Someone got in the front and drove off. 

* * *

5 minutes later at Smallville High  
Rory grabbed the stuff she needed for tonight out of her locker and smiled. Tonight was the night of the homecoming dance – apparently the night that some poor kid was gonna get tied up in a field – Chloe had neglected to mention which one.

She walked out towards the front doors of the school. Jared had offered to give her a ride home. She opened the door and walked out, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw him lying on the pavement in front of her. "Jared!" she cried out, running forward and bending over him. "Jared, are you all right?"

He stirred and opened his eyes. "Rory?" he asked. He remembered what had happened and sat bolt upright and asked, "Where did Whitney go?"

Rory was only interested in how Jared was feeling. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

A wave of dizziness hit him and he groaned. "I don't think I'll be able to go to the dance," he groaned.

"Oh well," said Rory hiding her disappointment. "But you'll be all right, won't you?"

"Yeah. Listen, did you see Whitney?"

"No. Why?"

"Crap," he muttered. _I just have to remember where they put the scarecrow._

"Jason? Why..." Rory trailed off as she realized why Whitney wasn't there. "He's doing that stupid scarecrow thing, isn't he." It was not a question.

Jared stared at her. "How do you know about that?"

"Chloe told me. Who is it this year? I would've thought you'd've stopped them," she replied.

"I tried. That's how I got this," he said touching the side of his head gingerly and wincing.

"Tell me where it is, Jared. Then I'll be able to get them out."

Jared hesitated. "No, I'll do it."

"Oh, so you can't go to the dance, but you can go out to some random cornfield at night and find the scarecrow?" Rory asked angrily.

"That's not what I meant."

"Tell me where they put the scarecrow, Jared! Or I'll go ask Clark. He'll tell me," she said confidently.

Jared hesitated and she realized what had happened. "He didn't."

"Um... yeah, he kinda did."

Rory stared at him with a cold look in her eye. "And he punched you out when you tried to stop him."

Jared winced. "It sounds really bad when you say it like that but he's a good guy he just... he thought Lana was going out with Clark behind his back."

"I don't care." Suddenly a thought struck Rory – _Clark's invulnerable. How did Whitney manage to get him out there? Clark was really upset when he left. _"Jared, did Lana give Whitney anything? You know, for luck in the game."

"Yeah, she did. Her necklace, the one made from meteor rock. That one," Jared said in puzzlement. "But Rory, why does that matter?"

"Don't worry. Listen, if you don't tell me which field they're taking Clark to, I'll call an ambulance and tell them you have a concussion, then I'll go and ask Pete," she threatened.

"I can't remember!" Jared said desperately. "I know where, I just..." He shook his head and said, "I think maybe I do have a concussion."

"Dammit!" Rory swore. "Come on, think," she urged her boyfriend.

He shook his head and said, "Listen, I think maybe I should go home and so should you."

"But… I'm not leaving my brother out there!"

"Exactly. Do you have a cell phone? Cause I left mine at home. Right now, you should go home and call Pete and Chloe, see if they know."

Rory threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You are the most amazing person in the entire world and I love you."

Jared smiled. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"No. You've got concussion remember? How bout I walk to your place and ask your sister to drive me."

"Okay." 

* * *

Reilly's Field**  
**If anyone had have gone to check on the crops in that field on the night of the homecoming dance, they would've been met with an unpleasant surprise. Clark was attached to the stakes, wearing nothing but a pair of blue boxers and Lana's necklace which was glowing faintly. Oh, and the red "S" painted onto his chest.

Clark hung from the stakes, feeling even worse now than he had when he'd first been strung up. He was shaking, and he'd learned something new about the meteor rocks – the longer you were around one, the more it hurt. He could hardly think straight anymore, the only thing he could think about was the pain.

"It never ends, does it."

Clark tried to look at the voice, but he was so weak he could barely lift his head. He finally managed to get a look at the face that belonged to the voice. "You're Jeremy Creek," he gasped out.

Jeremy didn't answer his question, instead saying, "I thought if I punished them it would stop. But evidently not." He stared at the boy strapped to the scarecrow stakes the same way he had been 12 years earlier. He turned to leave and the boy groaned out, "Where are you going?"

He turned back and smiled sinisterly. "To the homecoming dance," he replied. "I never made it to mine." He left, leaving Clark to shiver on the pole.

Kent Farm  
"Hi, Gabe. It's Rory here, could I please talk to Chloe? It's urgent. Thank you so much," Rory said into the phone, her heart pounding. "Chloe? Thank God I managed to get onto you. I need to know which field the jocks put the scarecrow in."

She listened for a moment, then said, "No – no, see Jared has concussion, so I'm not going to the dance. Please Chloe, I – Reilly's Field? You're sure? Okay. Thanks Chloe, you are totally awesome. I love you. Bye." She hung up the phone and supersped out the door. 

* * *

Just outside LuthorCorp**  
**Lex drove out the gates of LuthorCorp, lost in his thoughts. His headlights suddenly found a person and he screeched to a halt. He stared at the guy and realized that he knew him. That was the kid who'd been tied up like a scarecrow the day of the meteor shower!

He climbed out of the car as fast as he could but the kid was gone. He walked forward curiously and looked around. Then he heard something."Help me…"

Somewhere near Reilly's Field  
Rory supersped through more cornfields, barely registering that it was night. She finally reached the field and supersped up to the scarecrow stakes, instinctively slowing down as she got closer. She burst into the small clearing a split second before Lex did. "Clark!" she cried. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you down."

"Rory," he whispered. He tried to motion towards Lex but was too weak.

"Clark? Rory?"

Rory turned around quickly and saw Lex. "Lex, help me get him down?" she asked. Of course, if he hadn't been there, she could have just taken the necklace off, but she didn't dare now. Lex was a very perceptive man; he'd notice for sure if Clark was shaking and looking as though he would pass out any second one minute, and then perfectly fine the next.

Lex came up beside Clark and started to tug at the ropes. "Who did this?" he asked, more to Rory than Clark.

"It doesn't matter," Clark gasped.

Rory meanwhile had pulled out a knife and was cutting the ropes. "Of course it matters Clark," she said angrily. "But don't worry, I'll take care of them."

"Them?" Lex inquired. "Was this some kind of gang thing?"

"Gangs in Smallville? I don't think so," said Rory. She managed to get the rope off the arm she was working on and started on his legs.

Lex said, "Then who did do this?" He managed to undo the other arm seconds after Rory finished the ropes on Clark's legs.

Clark fell off the stakes, Rory only just ducking out of the way in time. As Clark fell, the necklace came off his neck and fell to the ground where it stopped glowing. Clark sat up and Rory noticed the change immediately. Clark grabbed his clothes and said, "Thanks Lex, but _we_," he emphasised this for Rory, "have to go now."

"Are you sure? I mean, I think you should see a doctor."

"No, no, Clark will be fine, Lex. I'll take him straight home in the truck," Rory lied.

"Well now that that's settled, we gotta go Rors. _Now,_" Clark said urgently. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Bye Lex," she called back to him.

Lex watched them go, frowning. He glanced down and noticed a necklace with a beautiful green rock in it lying on the ground. _Strange,_ he thought. _It must be Rory's. _He bent down to pick it up and looked at it carefully. _If nothing else, I should get some points for giving this back._ He smiled and left the field.

_Okay,_ Rory opened the connection as Clark put his clothes back on at superspeed. _Where are we going?_

In less than a second Clark had shown her his conversation with Jeremy. She absorbed this for a second, then said, "Right. Let's get to school then."

"Wait. Weren't you going to the dance with Jared?"

"Well, it's kinda hard when your boyfriend has concussion."

"Right." Clark's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"Oh, Whitney punched him and he ended up with concussion. I thought you were there," said Rory confused.

"I was, but I didn't think Whitney hit him hard enough to knock him out, let alone give him concussion."

Rory frowned. "That's really weird. I wonder why?" Coming back to Earth she realized, "Clark! The dance!"

"Crap!" They both supersped off to Smallville High. 

* * *

Smallville High School  
Jeremy opened the fire sprinkler box.

"It's not the answer Jeremy," came the voice of a girl.

He frowned and turned around. When he saw the girl his frown became a scowl and he snarled, "How would you know? You're obviously popular," he looked at her scathingly, "you're far too pretty to be anything but."

"You think I want some poor guy to be the 'scarecrow' every year on the night of the homecoming dance?"

"You're probably going out with one of the guys that tied him up!" he yelled at her nodding towards this year's scarecrow.

Scarecrow Kid spoke up. "Jeremy, you can't do this. I know that some of the people in there are cruel, but most of them are innocent!" Jeremy didn't even flinch, and Scarecrow Kid said desperately, "They're my friends! And I'm not gonna let you hurt them."

"Those people in there are not your friends," he spat. His voice changed, becoming smoother. "The sprinklers will get them all nice and wet. I'll handle the rest."

"They never did anything to you!" the girl yelled.

"I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for him and all the other kids like us!"

"What happened to you," the boy hesitated then went on, "was my fault."

"What? No it wasn't Clark!"

Scarecrow Kid – Clark – continued ignoring the girl, "I can understand your pain."

Jeremy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not in pain! I have a gift, and a purpose, and a destiny!" He turned away from them and stopped when he realized that Clark was standing in front of him."So do I," he replied calmly.

Jeremy growled at him and grabbed his arms, attempting to electrocute him. Clark held on, thanks to his invulnerability. He shoved Jeremy into a car behind him and said, "Give it up, Jeremy."

Jeremy glared at him. _Those rude interfering little bastards!_ He started the car and got into the driver's seat. He was first intending to run over Clark, but then he remembered how his electricity hadn't worked on him at all, whereas the girl had stayed back and not come near him. He smiled and pushed the accelerator down, speeding towards her until all of sudden she wasn't there anymore.

Rory watched in horror as Jeremy sped towards the wall. Sure, he wanted to kill her friends, but he didn't deserve to die. He hit the wall – which had an emergency hydrant attached to it – and smashed open the hydrant. Water began to rush into the car.Electricity ran all over Jeremy's body. Clark supersped over and tried to open the car, but it was so crushed from its impact with the wall that he couldn't. Jeremy spasmed and the electricity shorted out. Clark finally managed to rip the door off because Rory had used her powers to stretch the car out, making it easier for him.

Jeremy's eyes fluttered and he looked up at Clark and Rory, confused. "Are you okay?" Rory asked.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Jeremy asked woozily.

Clark and Rory smiled. "I'm Clark Kent, and this is my sister Rory, and you're in Smallville."

"I want to go home," Jeremy whispered sadly. Clark nodded.

* * *

At the dance  
Clark watched Lana and Whitney dancing with the homecoming crowns on their heads – Rory had gone straight home. Lana laughed at something Whitney said and then they kissed. Clark sighed and left. 

He walked into the parking lot and stopped for a second. All of a sudden his eyes fell on to several trucks parked side by side nearby. He smiled and checked behind him for witnesses. _No one there: good._

* * *

About 2 minutes later  
Lana walked into the parking lot, Whitney's arm secure around her waist. She had noticed that Rory wasn't there, but she figured that she would have an explanation tomorrow. She was interrupted from her musings when she heard someone yell.

"Who did this to my truck?" 

Coming back down to Earth, she realized that it was Whitney. She looked up and saw the impossible: three trucks perched on top of one another, with Whitney's right at the top. People all around them were laughing and pointing. Lana however frowned. How was she gonna get home now?

She looked off into the distance and saw Clark watching the scene. She watched as he smirked at some inside joke, then turned and walked away. _That's weird. Why is Clark here if Rory isn't?_

In the barn loft  
Clark looked through his telescope at the sky: when he'd come home, he had found out that Rory was asleep. He refocused on a star, wondering if it belonged to his planet.

"Your grandfather gave me that telescope when I was-was about your age," he was interrupted by the voice of his father. "I came downstairs for breakfast one morning and there it was."

Clark moved away from the telescope and sat down on the couch. Jonathan sighed. "Are you okay?"

Clark looked up at him and said wryly, "Can I answer that in about 5 years?"

Jonathan smiled at him and replied, "Yeah." He turned and walked down the stairs.

"Dad?" Jonathan looked up at Clark. Clark hesitated then said to him, "I'm glad that you and Mom were the ones that found us."

Jonathan smiled at the memory of that day and replied, "We didn't find you, Clark. You found us."

They smiled at each other, and Jonathan left.

Clark turned and put the radio on. It was playing one of Rory's favourite songs, Everything by Lifehouse. He walked over to the telescope.

"I didn't see you at the dance Clark."

Clark jumped in surprise and turned to see who it was, although he already knew. Lana was standing there, still in her homecoming dress and crown. She took his breath away, as always.

"Lana," he said, slightly uncomfortable. "What are you doing here?"

"I saved you that dance," she said softly and walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders and starting to sway.

Clark couldn't believe it. This, by textbook definition, was a more then perfect moment. It was simply indescribable – just like Lana.

"Is everything okay Clark?" he was interrupted.

"Yeah," he replied. He smiled at her beautiful face and said, "Everything's perfect."

Suddenly a horn honked and Clark jumped again. Lana was gone, and he realized it had just been a daydream. He walked over to the window and looked out. There was Lana, waving to the cars as they drove away with a smile on her face.

"Thanks for the dance Lana," he said quietly.

Lana turned, almost as if she had heard him. She smiled and ducked her head quickly before walking up the porch steps and into her house.

Clark continued to watch her with a smile on his face as the song drew to an end.

_'Cause you're all I want, you're all I need__  
You're everything, everything.  
__You're all I want, you're all I need,__  
You're everything, everything._

_And how can I, stand here with you,  
__And not be moved by you?__  
Would you tell me, how could it be,__  
Any better, any better than..._

_Would you tell me, how could it be,__  
Any better than this?_

**A/N Awww... that's one of my favourite songs too! Anyway, this is the longest chapter so far, cause I promised myself I would finish the first episode in this chapter but it turned out to be much longer then I thought. I also discovered that I like Jared much more than I thought I did so I'm going to make him nice. But Whitney will still be bad. Please review!****  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	6. Metamorphosis

**Metamorphosis –**** Sixth Chapter  
**Lana arrived at the bus stop just seconds before the bus did. "Rory," she panted, "I really need to talk to you." The bus pulled up and Rory got on and Clark (who was on time for once) climbed on right after her. Lana followed them. Rory sat down in a seat right in front of Pete and Chloe's seat and Clark sat next to her. Lana frowned, then shrugged and sat in the seat in front of them. "Anyway," Lana said, then noticed Clark, Chloe and Pete were all listening.

"Yeah Lana? What did you want to talk about?"

"Ummm... at school, can we talk? It's important."

"Sure," Rory smiled then turned to Chloe and Pete and started talking to them.

Lana sat in silence for the rest of the ride, unable to understand why Rory was avoiding her.  
**  
**

* * *

**Smallville High School**

Rory got off the bus and was immediately intercepted by Jared. "Hey," he greeted her with a smile on his face. "Did you get Clark down okay?"

"Yeah. How's your head? Talked to Whitney yet?"

Before Jared could reply, Lana came up to them and said, "Jared, I need to borrow Rory for a little while, do you mind?"

"No."

"Good." Lana dragged Rory away quickly, looking for an empty room in which to talk. She finally found an empty Spanish classroom and pulled her inside. Lana closed the door behind them and said, "So why weren't you at the dance?"

"Oh, I – I mean, Jared wasn't feeling to well, so I decided not to go either," Rory replied uncomfortably.

"But you've been looking forward to this for ages."

"Come on Lana, it's just a high school dance. It's not like it's the end of the world or anything!"

Lana sighed and said, "When I came up to you two this morning, you asked Jared something that sounded a little weird."

"Which was?"

"How's your head?" Lana quoted.

Rory shifted uncomfortably and said, "Oh, well, uh, see, Jared had a really, really bad headache on top of the rest of it."

"Oh. Cause then you asked him, 'Talked to Whitney yet?'." Lana paused, knowing that she almost had her explanation. "It almost sounded as thought they were related in some way."

Rory froze, mind searching for an explanation. She chose a simple one. "Oh, Whitney and Jared are doing an assignment in Science together…"

"Don't give me that crap Rory. I know something's up, I know it involves Whitney and Jared and I know you don't want me to know for some reason!"

"That's cause if you find out, you'll blame it all on yourself! And it's not your fault!" Rory stopped when she realized what she'd just said.

"Okay, that's it. I have to know now," Lana demanded.

"Lana-"

"I'm not taking anything but a yes for an answer."

"Why, oh why, did I have to pick such a stubborn best friend?" Rory lamented.

Lana stared at her and began tapping her foot on the floor.

Rory's mind whirred, desperately trying to think of something Lana would accept. "Well, um, see, the guys on the football team got together just before the dance to um, play football. Just, you know, a friendly game, between friends, you know? And, um, Whitney threw the ball to Jared and it... hit Jared in the head. Yeah. Then, uh, Whitney had to leave and he left without apologizing," she stuttered.

"How could that possibly have been my fault?" Lana asked, confused.

"Oh, I just said that cause I figured you'd stop bugging me?" Rory offered.

Lana laughed and said, "So that's it?"

"Yeah. So we cool?"

"Yeah, we're good."

* * *

**Several days later**  
Lana loved the feeling of riding her horse – the way the wind blew through her hair, the way her body shifted to accommodate the movement of the horse, the way everything looked beautiful... Sadly, she had to go back now, as it was almost 5 o'clock. She sighed and turned her horse in the direction of the stables. 

She swung her leg over the horse's back and took the reins in her hands, leading him into the stables.

"Your form's good, but his gait's off," she jumped at the sound of a voice behind her. She turned to see a handsome young man walking towards her. Lana was startled to see that though the man couldn't have been much over twenty, he was completely bald. He continued, "You might want to check your shoes."

She nodded but didn't make any move to do so. The man held out his hand towards her and said, "Lex Luthor. I'm a friend of your aunt's."

Lana didn't bother to take his hand. "Sneaking up like that. You're lucky you didn't get kicked."

"You must be Lana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Lex said to her. _God, there are so many beautiful girls in this town._

"We've already met," Lana replied, smirking.

Lex smiled and replied, "I seriously doubt I'd forget meeting you."

"You were a little..." Lana paused, "_preoccupied_ at the time."

Lex's smile shrank a little. "I get the feeling I didn't make such a great first impression."

Lana finished the quick grooming she always gave her horse after a ride and told him, "When I was ten, I went to Metropolis for a riding competition. Your father invited us to stay over. My aunt said you had an indoor pool. When I went to check it out, I found you and a girl skinny-dipping." She paused, then continued smoothly with a twinkle in her eyes, "I think you were teaching her the breaststroke."

Lex almost gaped at her before regaining his composure and saying, "That was you?" Lana nodded. "Wow. You're all grown up now," Lex continued. He saw a cabinet full of trophies, ribbons, plaques and photos of a girl with a horse. "Very impressive," he gestured towards the cabinet.

"It's tacky. But it makes my aunt happy."

Lex saw a picture of the girl – _that has to be Lana _– wearing a pretty necklace. He took a closer look and realized it was the necklace he'd found when Clark had been tied up like a scarecrow. "That's a very unusual necklace," he remarked, hoping to find out whether he was right.

"Thanks. It's very special to me," Lana replied, confirming Lex's suspicion – that the necklace actually belonged to Lana, not Rory.

"How come you're not wearing it?" Lex asked, a new suspicion forming in his mind. _Did Lana have something to do with what happened to Clark?_

"I lent it to my boyfriend."

Lex understood. _Lana's boyfriend tied Clark up out there; probably __cause__ he realized Clark has a crush on her._ "Lucky guy. What's his name?"

"Whitney Fordman."

"Isn't that the guy the Kent kids saved today?"

"I just came back from seeing him – and thanking Rory. She's my best friend," Lana explained seeing Lex's puzzled look. "Whitney's lucky they were there."

"I know the feeling," Lex said understandingly. He paused, wondering if Clark would appreciate this. "Kind of makes you wonder if you're with the right guy. One chucks footballs, the other saves lives."

Lana frowned. "For someone who just moved into town, you sure have a lot of opinions."

"You just seem more interesting than that. While you're nursing your boyfriend back to health, why don't you ask him where he was just before the dance."

"He was with me," Lana lied.

"Are you sure?" Lex waited for an answer. When none came, he said, "Tell your aunt I stopped by."

Lana watched him leave, frowning. _What does he know that I __don't__? And why was he so interested in Clark and Whitney?_

* * *

******Luthor Mansion**  


"What is it about Kents and gifts?" Lex asked Clark, frustrated. "It's yours. Hand it to Lana. Tell her what happened. Trust me, once she opens it, you'll win her heart. That necklace gives you the power Clark – all you have to do is use it."

Clark stared at Lex for a moment, then looked at the box. _Well, I __don't__ have to take it and give it to Lana. Rory really should know about the lead protecting us from the rocks. _He hesitated, then took the box.

Lex smiled and clapped him on the back. "Tell Rory I said hi." Clark turned to leave and Lex said, "Oh, and Clark?" Clark turned to face him. "You and your sister are welcome any time."

Clark nodded and left.

* * *

**********Kent Farm**  


Clark supersped into the house and yelled, "Rory!"

Rory heard her name from her room and supersped down the stairs. "Yeah? What's the matter?" she asked, noticing a black box in his hands.

"Lex just gave me this Rors."

Rory stared at it. "Um... what is it?"

"It's a box, made of lead. Guess what's inside?"

"What?"

Clark opened the box and its effect on Rory was immediate; she gasped and staggered back a few steps. Clark was shocked and immediately closed the box. Rory leaned on the wall, trying to catch her breath. Another difference between her and Clark was that often the meteor rock effect lasted for a little while after it had been taken away, whereas with Clark, the pain left as soon as the rock did.

"Rors? You okay?"

"What the hell was a meteor rock doing in there?" she snapped.

"It's not just any meteor rock; it's Lana's necklace. Lex must have picked it up in the field."

"But... I turned it off when she first got it! I shouldn't be able to feel the pain from it anymore!"

Clark thought for a minute, then his eyes lit up. "I have a theory. See, the lead in the box stops the pain for me, and for you too. What if, when you stop the pain with lead, it also stops your power working on it and you have to do it again?"

Rory thought about it; it made sense. "Well that sucks," she grumbled. "I'll just have to touch it – _again _– when Lana gets it back."

* * *

**************School the next day**  


Lana walked up to Whitney as he shut the door of his locker. He turned and smiled when he saw her; she didn't smile back. "Can we talk?"

"Sure. What is it?"

Lana hesitated, she didn't want Whitney to get really mad at her. "Where were you before the dance on Saturday?"

Whitney stopped smiling and said, "Can we talk about this later?"

"It's a simple question, Whitney."

"I was getting ready for the dance."

"So you didn't grab Clark – who, by the way, is my best friend's twin brother and one of my good friends – and hang him up in a field?" Lana asked suspiciously.

Whitney winced and tried to explain himself. "Lana, it was just a prank."

Lana pursed her lips and looked down, feeling anger pulse through her veins. "Could I please have my necklace back?" she asked, a little too calmly.

Whitney winced again; he was in for it now. "I lost it."

Lana stared at him, unable to believe what she'd just heard. "Were you planning on telling me that? Or was that a prank too?" She turned and stormed away. Whitney watched her go sadly.

* * *

**************The next day in the stables**  


Lana finished feeding the horses and turned to see Whitney standing there. "Your aunt said you were out here," he said awkwardly.

Lana nodded as though it were the most normal thing in the world and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better." He hesitated, trying to find words that described how he felt. "That's not why I'm here though. Lana, when I saw you and Clark outside your house that night, I freaked out."

"What did you think we were doing?" Lana asked, surprised.

"I guess I got scared and did something stupid," he said to her. "I would do anything to take that back," he said intensely, staring into her eyes.

Lana noticed someone come in behind Whitney. "It's too late, Whitney," Greg said calmly. "She's mine now."

* * *

**************That night – Kent farm**  


Clark looked at the box that held Lana's necklace. He made his decision and went over to her house.

He opened the top of the box and grabbed the necklace. His hand trembled and the veins began to pop out, turning green as they did so. He moved forward to place the necklace on the doorknob.

"Whitney? Is that you?"

Lana came to the front door and opened it, stepping outside. She looked around; there was nobody there, which puzzled her. She turned around and saw her necklace, her favourite necklace, hanging on the doorknob. She pulled it off and smiled. Clutching it to her chest, she looked around again and said softly, "Thank you." Then she turned and went inside.

Clark watched her from the road, smiling too. He then supersped back to the farm.**********  
**

**************A/N I love all your reviews guys, thanks especially to Spidey2 and Friesian Lover5690, you rock! In this ****chapter**** I just did the stuff that is important to the rest of the season, if you want to know what really happens, watch the episode! And Greg by the way is Bug-Boy in case you ****didn't**** know.****  
Please review! Love you all!  
****Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	7. Hothead

**Hothead – Seventh Chapter ****  
Lana's house  
**"Lana, you're home early," Nell greeted her niece. "Did they cancel cheerleading practice?"

"Sort of," Lana said uneasily. "We – me and Rory – we quit."

Nell's face fell, she couldn't understand. "But you two loved being on the squad! What happened?"

"I just think there's more to life then memorizing cheers and shaking pompoms."

"You just decided this out of the blue?" Nell asked her concernedly. She frowned suddenly. "Was this Rory's idea?"

"No!" Lana couldn't believe it. Nell thought Rory was great, as she had been Lana's best friend since kindergarten. "We talked about it, I said I wanted to quit and she was like 'Really? Me too!'"

"What made you want to quit though?"

"Some guys on the football team were caught cheating – guys we know." Seeing her aunt's expression Lana quickly assured her, "Not Jared or Whitney, Aunt Nell. But when I told Whitney how much it upset me, he said it was no big deal. That nobody's perfect." She put her cheerleading uniform into a box and put the box at the bottom of her cupboard. "I thought, 'Why am I doing this, wearing a fake smile and stupid outfit for people who will do anything to win a game?'"

Nell sat down on her bed. "Well, you can't let a couple of bad apples spoil the experience. You're part of a team! You're making friends."

"Aunt Nell, I don't want to go back. I want to try different things. And I already have friends, perfectly good ones. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Nell said, looking a little concerned. "It's just that you're on a good track. I want you to be happy. What are you gonna do with this newfound freedom?"

"I thought I'd get a job. Something part-time. Earn some extra money so I can travel in the summer," Lana told her."

"Is Rory going to work with you?" Nell asked. "Or are you going to be alone?"

"It depends on whether the job I want has two spots available, Aunt Nell."

Nell brightened. "Well, if you two wanted, I could use some help in the shop –"

"Thanks," Lana interrupted her smoothly, "but I want to do this on my own. And I doubt there'd be any place that's looking for two employees, so probably completely on my own."  
**  
**

* * *

**  
After Coach Walt has ****died  
**Clark walked out onto the football field, the bleachers empty, the field deserted. He looked around wistfully, and for an instant pictured himself, on the field, scoring the winning goal while his father looked on proudly. Then the illusion faded away and Clark looked down.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?"

Clark turned around. He smiled when he saw Lana standing there and said, "Hey. I thought you were working."

She walked towards him, her hands entwined. "I got let go. Apparently, I'm not waitress material," she said.

Clark winced. "Sorry. How did your aunt take it?"

Lana laughed a little, "She said it was a sign that I should seriously reconsider cheerleading."

Clark laughed too. "Parents. What are you gonna do?"

"I heard about the coach. Pretty weird, huh?"

Clark nodded, pretending he had no idea what had happened. "He won his 200th game, and didn't even see it."

They started to walk across the field. Lana asked him, "So you gonna play next season?"

Clark said pensively, "I don't know if football's for me." Realizing he sounded a little too serious, he said humorously, "I mean, my dad played, my grandad played." He looked over at Lana mischievously. "I think it's time to break the vicious cycle."

Lana said laughingly, "Pretty short career. Why the change of heart?"

Clark hesitated. "I don't know. I guess... I guess I got out on the field and realized my reason for playing was gone." He looked at her beautiful face.

She stopped and turned to look at him too. _Is he talking about a girl?_ Lana thought. _Maybe... me?__Nah,__ must just be my imagination._ "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Who said life was fair?" Clark asked, speaking as though he wanted to be sad, but had to save face. Lana nodded and queried, "Are you gonna be okay?"

Clark paused, then said impulsively, "Sometimes I just wanna scream."

Lana smiled, an idea coming to her. She said mischievously, "Why don't we?"

"Are you serious?" Clark asked her, grinning.

"Why not?" Lana replied.

"On three. One... Two... Three!" said Clark, looking over at her to make sure she would go through with it. They both took a deep breath and screamed loudly, their arms spread out to the sky.****

A/N **That's**** a really short chapter... sorry! I had writer's block, and ****there was nothing I particularly wanted to write about in that episode,**** but I got through it! I have decided that from now on, ****I'm**** just going to do the important stuff in the episode. So no ****meteor freak**** storyline (unless that meteor freak comes back or I like the story or I've thought of a great way to change it). ****  
Please review!  
****Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	8. XRay

**X-Ray – Eighth Chapter****  
Gym Class**  
Clark watched Lana and Rory leave the gym to make room for the guys. Actually he was only watching Lana, who looked up at him and smiled.

"Keep your eyes in your head, man," he was interrupted by a grinning Pete. Clark rolled his eyes at him, then squeezed his eyes shut in pain and grabbed his head in his hands.

"Kent, are we boring you?" the gym teacher asked sarcastically.

Clark lifted his head up and said painfully, "I'm sorry. My – my head hurts."

"That's because you need to get some blood pumping!" the teacher shouted energetically. "Come on. You and Ross are next." He yelled up to the boys on the rope, "Come on down, boys!"

Clark shook his head, trying to make the pain go away. He blinked a couple of times, then started climbing the rope while Pete climbed the other.

"Come on, put a little muscle into it!" the teacher yelled up at them. "If Ross beats you it's ten laps," he threatened, then continued, "Come on, Clark, let's go. Move it, move it!"

"Looks like someone's doing laps," panted Pete grinning victoriously as he pulled ahead of Clark. Clark looked over at Pete and gasped as he saw that Pete wasn't exactly Pete anymore. All Clark could see was his muscles and tendons! Pete saw the look on Clark's face and said anxiously, "Clark, man, what's wrong? Clark! What's wrong?" Clark lost his grip on the rope and fell to the ground. "Clark!"

* * *

Inside the girl's changing rooms, Rory snapped her head up as she heard a strange male voice, one she recognized but couldn't quite identify saying, "What the hell is wrong with him? One second he was fine, the next he fell off!" She looked around and realized that nobody else had reacted. _Oh god, what now?_ She listened harder, unconsciously reaching out with her mind. She touched on several unfamiliar ones, finally reaching one she recognized as Clark's and one she recognized as the voice from before. 

_Clark?_ she asked. _What's wrong?_

_Nothing. Go away. I'm fine._

_You don't sound fine._

_I'll tell you at home; Mom and Dad are gonna wanna know too._

_Okay. Love you._

Clark's mind-voice, a lot like his normal voice but pure Clark, softened as he replied, _I love you too. Now go away._

* * *

Clark cut the connection and looked up at the gym wall, needing something solid to stare at while he recovered. He blinked a couple of times when he realized that the wall wasn't there. Instead he could see straight into the girls locker room! He stared, aghast, past the wall that he knew was there and was just about to turn away when he saw Lana, wearing only a towel, walking over to her things. She turned so that, by some coincidence, her back was to him and let the towel go.Clark began to smile inanely. 

_**  
**_

* * *

_**  
**_

** Kent Farm that afternoon**

"So when you have these flashes, you can see through anything?" Martha asked Clark, who nodded. "People? Objects?"

"Sometimes I can see through things, other times it's just an x-ray," replied Clark.

"And there's no warning? It just happens?" interjected Jonathan.

"Well, I get a headache, and then it hits me. The first time, I thought I was just hallucinating, but then it happened again," Clark told them.

"There has to be a way to control this Clark," Rory told him.

Clark stared at her like she was nuts. "I can see through things. How do you control that?"

"You have to practice, Clark," said Martha. "Your eyes have muscles, just like your legs."

"Oh, great," he muttered sarcastically. Lifting his head back up, he asked, "Have you had any of these flashes Rors?"

Rory shook her head. "Nothing. Although..."

"What is it?" Jonathan asked her.

She shook her head a little. "It's just, in gym today, around the time Clark had his flash, I thought – I thought I heard somebody say something, kinda like the same way Clark and I talk, only I couldn't reply to what they were saying, if that makes any sense."

"So... mind-reading?" asked Martha.

"I don't know," said Rory. "Why are our powers so different? I mean, we're twins. Surely our powers should be exactly the same! But instead, I have all these powers that Clark doesn't, and he's probably going to get more that I don't!"

"Calm down, Rors," soothed Clark. "We're gonna get through this. We'll work it out, I promise."  
**  
**

* * *

** Two days later**

Whitney, Lana, Rory and Jared came out of class together talking and laughing. Whitney and Jared had talked over their argument and become friends again, much to Rory's frustration.

"Lana!" came the voice of Tina Greer from a little way away.

Whitney sighed and muttered quietly to Lana, "I swear that girl's got you lojacked."

Tina ran up to them smiling hugely. "How do you like the sweater?" she asked eagerly.

"It's great," Lana said, a little confused. "I've got one just like it."

"I know. I bought it at the same store. I've been going on this shopping spree. Hey, look. I even found this emerald necklace in the antique store!" Tina prattled excitedly. Rory rolled her eyes. Tina was a nice enough person, but she was just a little bit obsessed with Lana. She considered herself Lana's only best friend, even though everybody knew Lana and Rory might as well have been sisters.

"Why am I not surprised?" Whitney asked quietly with an air of one who has resigned themself to what is happening. Raising his voice he said to Jared, "Hey we better go, Coach wants to run some drills with us during free period."

"Right," Jared responded before pressing his lips lightly to Rory's and saying, "Bye."

"Bye," replied Rory smiling slightly. Whitney and Jared left, leaving Lana, Rory and Tina alone.

Tina glared at Whitney's retreating back, then turned her attention back to Lana. "Hey, are you okay? I stopped by your house earlier and Nell said you weren't in the best mood so..."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," said Lana, trying not to snap at her.

"Good, 'cause I need a favour," Tina said to her. "My mom is moving to Metropolis full-time but see, she doesn't want to pull me out of school. So I was thinking I can move in with you and Nell."

Rory stared at her. God, I knew she was obsessed, but that... that's just creepy.

Taken aback, Lana said to Tina uncertainly, "For how long?"

"I don't know. A couple months," beamed Tina happily. "I mean, my mom would pay you guys. Trust me, money is not a problem. Just name your price. I could even get a horse. Uh, we could go riding together. I mean, wouldn't that be cool?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah, uh..." Lana cleared her throat and continued hesitantly, "Just give me some time to think about it. Are you sure your mom's okay with this?"

Suddenly Rory heard a wisp of something, which solidified into a voice. How could Lana ask something like that? I'm her best friend. Of course my mom's okay... would be okay with it.

Rory inhaled sharply. "You okay?" asked Lana.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rory said.

"Well, anyway," Tina said, annoyed that Rory had taken Lana's attention, if only for a second. "Of course my mom's okay with it. She knows that we're best friends. It was her idea," Tina justified. Rory heard again, And it would have been her idea, if she had of been around to come up with it. Rory was utterly shocked. What the hell does that mean, if she had of been around to come up with it?

Lana bit her bottom lip gently. "Well, uh, just let me run it by Nell first. She's kind of particular," Lana offered, hoping Tina would accept that.

She didn't. "Nell loves me," Tina said angrily, staring straight into Lana's eyes. "Look, I don't understand. I thought that you'd be happy. I mean, people even say that we look alike. We could be sisters," she raised her voice, upset.

"I'm just not sure it's such a great idea," Lana explained.

"Listen, guys, maybe you could talk about this another time," Rory interjected.

"Stay out of this, bitch," Tina spat at her.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Lana said loudly and angrily.

"You should have said yes, Lana!" Tina yelled at her. Tears filled her eyes as she continued, angrily but a little sadly, "It would have been perfect."

She turned and stomped away. Lana looked at Rory who looked at her and shrugged, pretending she had no idea what was going on. I need to practice this whole mind-reading thing. On Jared, maybe? I could try it on Lana... she probably wouldn't notice, and they don't have to know. I'll pretend I'm just sleeping or something.

* * *

Clark wandered over to Tina's locker which was now shut, after she had torn off the emerald necklace and thrown it inside. He glanced around, then looked at the locker and attempted to focus his eyes. It's not working! He took a deep breath and reminded himself to be patient. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he tried to focus his eyes again, this time like a telescope. All of a sudden, the locker door seemed to disappear and he could see inside. Yes! 

He saw a backpack inside and focused his eyes some more so as to see inside the backpack. Suddenly the outside of the backpack 'disappeared' and he could see several bundles of money. The money from the robbery!

Clark's horror at discovering Tina had robbed the bank quickly disappeared into elation at having finally mastered his x-ray vision.

"Clark!" He turned to see Tina glaring at him. "What's your glitch, huh? Why do you keep staring at me?"

"Uh, I don't know," he mumbled. "Sorry." Clark turned and walked away, fast.

* * *

A/N Well that's all I'm gonna do of X-Ray. Rory still hasn't mastered her 'mind-reading' power. I hope it's not too long!

Read and REVIEW! It feels really great when you go into your emails and there's all these ones telling you about reviews! From now on, I solemnly swear that I will answer all reviews. Even if the person reviewing has reviewed before.

Xx.maddy-sparx.xX


	9. Cool

**Cool – Ninth Chapter****  
Just outside the Beanery**  
Lex walked out of the Beanery and saw Clark standing outside the window. He walked up to him and saw that he was staring at Lana. Lex smiled. "You know, she's free tomorrow night. Hey, Clark." Clark turned to look at him. Lex continued, "This is the perfect time to ask her out. And..." Lex grinned at him. "I happen to know for a fact that her best friend likes you much better than she likes Lana's current boyfriend."

Clark half-smiled at him and said dryly, "See, that's the thing Lex. She has a boyfriend."

Lex exhaled loudly and said, "A high school boyfriend isn't a husband Clark. He's an obstacle. You know, I bet if you ask Lana to go with you to the Radiohead concert in Metropolis tomorrow, she'll say yes."

Clark looked at Lex suspiciously. "And if she says yes... what then?"

"I'll give you the tickets."

Clark frowned in confusion. "Why are you doing this?"

"You're like the younger brother I never had. I figure someone should benefit from my experience."

Clark grinned hugely. "You do realize, that if I'm your brother, that makes Rory your sister?" Lex glared at him. Clark continued, "Seriously Lex, you're all over me for not asking Lana out, but you've never said anything to Rory!"

Lex glared daggers at Clark (as opposed to just normal glaring.) "That, my young padawan, is because Rory has A) a nice boyfriend who she seems to like a lot and B) an extremely overprotective father and brother!"

"I would be perfectly happy if you went out with Rory. And besides, Lana likes Whitney a lot too."

"Yeah, but Whitney's not nice."

"Returning to the original topic..." Clark gazed longingly through the glass at Lana. "I can't just ask her out."

"The hardest thing in the world is telling the girl you love that you like her." Lex watched as Clark bit his lip, unable to decide. "I'll raise the bet. You ask her in the next sixty second, you get the tickets, and I'll throw in a round-trip limo ride, starting now."

Clark scowled at him. "Hypocrite." Lex dangled the tickets in front of Clark's face. Clark looked at him, then grabbed the tickets and walked inside.

Lex grinned happily.

* * *

Clark walked into the Beanery and saw Lana sitting on one of the couches, reading a book. He walked over to her and said hesitantly, "Hey, Lana. Are you busy?" 

When she first heard his voice she looked up and smiled at him; a genuine smile. "Completely swamped. That's why I'm sitting in a coffee shop attempting to wade through a Russian classic," she said, a little sarcastic.

Clark wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh."

Lana almost laughed when she saw his expression and told him, "That was a joke, Clark."

Clark looked relieved. "Good. Cause there's this thing tomorrow night."

"Define 'thing'."

"It's a concert – Radiohead, to be exact – and I got a couple tickets."

"Why not take your sister?"

Clark paused. "Well, I've been with Rory since before I was born – literally. One night away won't hurt."

"Oh. Okay. So where'd you get the tickets?"

Clark looked down at the tickets in his hand for a second, then back at Lana. "A friend. Something came up at the last minute, and I was wondering if you'd like to go, you know, with me."

Lana didn't know what to say. Clark was her friend, and her best friend's brother. But he was also really, really cute, and that would probably make Whitney jealous. She hesitated. "I'd-"

Clark saw the look in her eye and quickly reassured her, "Just as friends."

Lana hesitated again, then, making her decision she said firmly, "I'd love to."

A grin broke out across Clark's face, and Lana smiled back at him.

* * *

******The next day, Kent Farm**  


Clark practically bounced down the stairs into the kitchen where his mom and dad were arguing about something and Rory was watching with an amused look. "Hello citizens," he said happily, clapping Jonathan on the shoulder and hugging Martha.

Martha looked at Jonathan, astonished, and Rory laughed. "I'm not familiar with this child," Martha said jokingly. Turning to look at Clark, she asked sarcastically, "Where's the moody one? Lives upstairs, runs real fast?"

Rory laughed again and said, "Not as fast as me, Mom."

Clark glared at her, then answered his mother's question casually. "Oh, he's going on a date tonight." Seeing the looks on their faces, he quickly assured them (and himself), "Not a date-date, but a concert."

Rory grinned happily. "I bet I know who this not-a-date-date is with!"

Clark looked at her, amused and said, "Lana Lang. Lex hooked me up with a couple of serious tickets and his limo."

Jonathan looked at Martha and said grumpily, "Well, it looks like Lex Luthor has worked out all our evenings tonight."

"Not mine," chimed Rory.

_Oh, I'm sure Lex would be happy to work something out_, Clark thought to himself. He was interrupted by Martha asking him, "Clark? Isn't Lana going out with Whitney?"

Before Clark could answer, Rory said to her, "She's not married, Mom."******  
**

* * *

******That afternoon, before the Big Date**  
Chloe said to Clark, "Okay, listen. Your online horoscope says that you try not to flaunt your excitement –" 

"-which we know will be hard, seeing as you've been waiting for this date since you were like, five," Rory giggled.

Clark rolled his eyes at them and said in frustration, "I'll say it _one more time_¸ and then I'll print up bumper stickers: THIS IS NOT A DATE!"

"All right, well, just check Lana's outfit." Chloe said. Clark stared at her, fearing she had finally gone insane from too much caffeine.

Rory sighed and explained, "If a girl wears something new to hang out with you, you know that she considers it to be a date." Rory looked at the wall and remarked, "Wow, this is so weird." Seeing Chloe's look she said, "My brother is going on a date with my best friend."

Clark was ready to scream in frustration. "Do I have enough time to print up bumper stickers?" he asked and they both laughed. "You!" he accused Chloe. "I thought you came over for fashion advice! And you!" he said, this time to his sister. "I thought…" He stopped. "Actually, what are you doing here?"

"I live here, Clark."

"No! _Here_-here, not in-this-house-here."

Rory thought for a second. "I'm here to make sure you don't wear anything that hasn't been washed in a couple of days."

Clark shook his head and held up a shirt for the girls to see. "Ew," was Rory's response.

Chloe said matter-of-factly, "Burn that. What else you got?"

Clark sighed. "I'll go see my closet."

He started to walk out as his sister yelled after him, "I can't believe I let you _keep_ that shirt!" Rory stopped as a thought struck her and demanded, "What do you mean, you'll check your closet?"

******A/N I ****don't**** know if anyone will get that last bit! But anyway, the chapter is just a filler ****cause**** I wanted to do Clark's not-a-date-date with Lana, but that kinda ended badly so I just did the preparation for the not-a-date-date. Sorry it took me so long! I had exams and we just went to the Coast so yeah!  
****Review!**** Reviews rock! ****They're**** even better than pie!  
****Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	10. Jitters

**Jitters – Tenth Chapter****  
Clark's party, just before Lana ****arrives  
**Clark attempted to clean up a stain that had mysteriously appeared on the carpet. He looked around for Rory but couldn't see her anywhere. _Damnit, _he thought. He was just about to try and reach her mind-to-mind but was interrupted.

"Pretty cool party," he heard a girl's voice behind him. He recognized it immediately and turned around smiling.

"Lana, thanks. It's kind of impromptu." Clark saw Rory come down the stairs and sighed internally, relieved. He continued, "I figure sometimes you just have to kick back and blow off some steam."

"If I had a hundred people trashing my house, I'd be a little freaked out," Lana joked. "I really can't see Rory agreeing to this."

"Oh, Clark assured me it would just be a 'small gathering'," said Rory from behind her. Lana laughed.

"Well, after the first few dishes, you kinda get used to it," Clark explained.

Rory snorted and muttered, "Yeah, right."

Lana didn't hear her though and said, "I don't think I'd be brave enough to risk it."

Clark stared at her beautiful face and Rory, seeing the look on his face, quietly slipped away. "I don't know Lana. I bet you're braver then you think." They shared a look before Clark asked, "So you're flying solo tonight?"

Lana's smile disappeared and she questioned, "You mean, what am I doing here without Whitney?" Clark looked down, feeling stupid and she continued, "I am capable of enjoying myself without him."

Clark looked back up at her and smiled sheepishly. The moment was ruined when they heard massive bangs coming from outside. Clark ran to the window, vaguely aware that Lana was following him and looked out. He watched in awe as fireworks burst over the barn.

Rory heard the sound of the bangs too and ran outside, stopping when she saw the fireworks. "Whoa," she breathed, unable to believe it. Clark and Lana came out just behind her and she turned to them, exclaiming, "This is amazing!"

"Tell me about it," Clark grinned at his sister.

Pete walked outside with Chloe right behind him and yelled over the sound of the fireworks, "Clark, man, how cool is this?"

"Pete, it's awesome, but why didn't you just call the cops?" Clark asked sarcastically. "It would've been easier."

Pete lifted his hands and said, "Hey, I can't claim credit. Wasn't my idea."

"It was mine," said someone. They turned and saw Lex walking towards them. "Call it a party gift. I hope you like it."

"They're beautiful!" said Rory excitedly. Lex looked at her, puzzled. She explained, "I've only ever seen fireworks once before."

Clark looked at her sternly, then said to Lex, "They're great, just…"

Lex caught on immediately and said, "Don't worry about the police, it's covered. I know this kind of party can make or break a reputation and I wanted to make sure yours was a hit."

"Thanks Lex!" Rory threw her arms around his neck spontaneously and hugged him tightly. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed and hugged her back. Clark coughed loudly and they broke apart quickly as Rory realized that the hug might not have been the best idea, especially as she was going out with Jared. _What was that about?_ she heard an almost familiar voice question. Rory shook her head quickly and was yanked out of Lana's thoughts when Lex said casually, "So I hear you guys are taking a tour of the plant tomorrow."

"It's a class field trip," Chloe said in a monotone.

"What'd you do wrong?" Lex asked sarcastically.

Clark raised his eyebrows and asked rhetorically, "It's that bad, huh?"

Lex laughed as a pretty young girl came up to him and touched his arm flirtatiously. "Sorry I took so long." She fluttered her eyelashes at him and Rory, Chloe and Lana simultaneously rolled their eyes. _Where'd__ she learn how to flirt? __Playboy?_ Rory heard Chloe think. Rory smirked, then tuned back into what the girl was saying. "Someone overflowed the upstairs bathroom."

Clark and Rory groaned in unison. "We are officially dead." Clark stated.

"You are officially dead," Rory corrected him. "This entire thing was your idea."

Clark glared at her and said to her silently, _So long as you help me clean up I don't care._

Rory grinned.

* * *

**At the same time, in Metropolis  
**Martha waited anxiously as the phone rang for the fifth time, then the answering machine came on. "Hi! You've reached the Kent farm, home of Jonathan, Martha, Clark and Aurora Kent!" came Rory's cheerful voice over the phone. "You know what to do!" 

Martha hung up and said to Jonathan, "Still no answer."

"Sweetheart, I'm sure they're fine." Martha didn't look reassured – after all, this was the first time she had been away from her babies for a long period of time since the day they had found them in a smoking crater. Jonathan reassured her again, "We have to trust them. I'm sure nothing bad can happen if they're together."**  
**

* * *

**The next day  
**

Rory walked back into the house, Clark just a few steps behind her. She winced as she saw the mess everywhere, her better-than-average vision helping her to see the full extent of the result of the party. She turned to Clark and put her hands on her hips. "You are so lucky you have me," she told him. Rory gestured to the stains in the carpet and said, "Without me, how would you get them out before Mom and Dad come home?"

Clark shrugged and groaned in disgust as he stepped in something… well he wasn't sure what it was, but it was disgusting. "You take the stains, I'll do the superficial stuff," he said to her. 

Rory rolled her eyes at him and supersped around, grabbing a pair of plastic gloves and a plastic bag. She then supersped over to the first stain, used her powers to suck the materials out of the carpet and deposited the remains into the bag. This process happened in the blink of an eye and Rory quickly moved onto the next.

Meanwhile, Clark was superspeeding around the house also, cleaning up the paper cups, popcorn, and the rest of the mess as fast as he could. He then cleaned the dishes that had been used and went back to the table, happy with his efforts.

Rory threw out the plastic bag and the gloves, then went to the sink and started scrubbing her hands frantically. "So… dirty… must… remove… all… traces…" she muttered under her breath. She then turned around and glared at Clark, who had an extremely smug smile on his face.

Rory noticed someone move behind Clark and her senses went on hyper-alert. She looked up and her mouth dropped open, Clark staring at her. Rory squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "Oh crap."

Clark watched as Rory's mouth dropped open, and his stomach sank as she squeezed her eyes shut. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the sound of slow, sarcastic clapping behind. _I __didn't__ even know clapping could be sarcastic,_ he thought inanely. Knowing what he would see, he turned around.

"Hi," he said sheepishly. "You're home early."

Martha let all of her anxiety and fear out on the very people who had caused it. "We called SIX times last night, spoke with six DIFFERENT people, NONE of whom knew who you were!" she yelled at her beloved children.

"It was SUPPOSED to be an intimate occasion," Rory said angrily, glaring at Clark.

"Where have you two been?" their father inquired.

Clark licked his lips anxiously and said nervously, "At the hospital."

Martha stared at him for a second, then walked over to the nearest chair and collapsed into it. "That's it. I'm never leaving home again," she declared.**  
**

* * *

**A/N Sorry it's been taking me so long to update, but my parents ****wouldn't**** let me get on the computer for ages! ****Argh!**** Plus I had exams, but now school is out and ****I'm**** on holiday! ****Yay for holidays!****  
Review! ****Review!**** Review!**** Please! ****  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	11. Heat

**A/N I**** just have to say that I'm skipping right over the rest of the first season ****cause**** I got bored with it. (****sad**** I know) And one more thing: Jared joined the Marines with Whitney ****cause**** they're really good friends and he didn't want Whitney to be alone. He also told Rory that he wanted to save her from the stress of a long distance relationship, not to mention the stress of having a boyfriend in the Marines and they broke up. (Was Whitney in the Marines? Oh well he is now.)**

**Rory can now control her mind-reading power! ****Yay for new powers!****I'm**** sorry about the 'chapter' I posted before (for those who read it), I was just really stuck! I hope you like the decision I made. And thank you Glynnis007 cause I ****would've**** been stuck for ages without your help! ****  
Wow. ****Such a long AN. Sorry!  
****  
**

* * *

**  
Heat – Eleventh Chapter****  
Biology class  
**Rory went over to one of the benches and put her book bag on it. Lana sat down beside her while Chloe sat on her other side. A student wheeled an old projector into the room and she heard Pete groan from the bench he was sharing with Clark. Curious, she tapped into his thoughts to see what was going on.

A few months ago, Rory had learned that her latest ability allowed her to eavesdrop on conversations. Of course, she only used it when people she knew were involved, especially Clark. Unless he was talking to Lana.

"Oh great," was the first thing Pete said.

Rory 'heard' Clark answer, "What?"

"Every year the incredibly aged Mrs. Kowalski kicks off biology class with an ancient sex ed film."

Hearing this, Rory was hard pressed not to laugh. Evidently Clark felt the same way as he asked, "Who told you that? Your brother?"

Pete looked at him and said, "My dad."

Clark's mouth practically dropped open. He turned to the front and said hopefully, "Well, it can't be that bad."

The door at the front opened and Rory left Pete's mind. A beautiful woman in her late 20s entered and all of the guys in the class sat up a little straighter. She was wearing a light sundress that came to her mid-thighs. "Good morning," she said. "I'm Miss Atkins. I'll be your new biology teacher on health and human development."

All of the guys were staring at her, _but of course Clark wouldn't pay anyone other than Lana any attention of _that _kind, _Rory thought smugly. She glanced over at her brother and almost fell off her chair when she realized that he was staring just as hard as the rest of them. She shook her head disapprovingly as Miss Atkins moved to the front of the room and lowered the projector screen giving the guys in the first two rows, including Clark and Pete, a good look at her… assets.

Rory glanced at Lana who was trying hard not to laugh, then she looked at Chloe who just looked back at her with a massive grin on her face. "I'm really sorry about the air conditioning in here," Miss Atkins announced, "but it looks like we're going to have to suffer through this together."

Thanks to her better-than-human-hearing, Rory heard Pete mumble under his breath, "Bring on the pain." She giggled, then assumed a sombre expression and shrugged when her friends looked at her.

Lana laughed quietly at the expression on her face as the teacher closed the blinds in the room. "Let's get ready for a movie," she said. "All right. Everybody try to stay awake."

The projector began to clunk out the movie as a monotone male voice began to drone on about animal reproduction. "All members of the animal kingdom, from the simplest one-celled organism to the most complex of mammals, engage in reproduction. This insures that each individual creature can pass on its genetic information to future generations."

Between the intense heat and the oh-so-boring video, the majority of the class was practically asleep already.

"Animals rely on a variety of courtship methods. This remarkable reproductive process is set into motion by the act of copulation, also known as intercourse or coitus. In many species, the females attract their mates with chemical scents called pheromones."

Clark had stopped paying attention ten seconds into the video. He turned around and saw Miss Atkins leaning on her desk at the back of the room. She leaned down and brushed her hand along her leg. Clark began to sweat as he watched her move her hand over her collarbone absent-mindedly. She looked up and saw him watching. He blushed in embarrassment as she gestured to him to start watching the video. He did so reluctantly, not noticing that Chloe had been watching and was laughing to herself in disbelief.

"Pheromones are used to elicit specific behaviours from members of the opposite sex and are secreted by glands, or incorporated into other fluids such as perspiration. The desired goal of all courtship behaviour in mammals is to..."

Clark couldn't help himself; he turned back to see Miss Atkins again and swallowed hard as he watched a drop of sweat run down between her breasts.

"sperm into the female..."

Suddenly, Clark's eyes started to heat up. _What the hell?_ He started to blink, fast, and turned back to the front of the room.

"sperm travels up the... to..."

If anybody had been watching Clark, they would have noticed how his irises started to glow a little, and how he was panting slightly, almost as if he was even hotter than the rest of the class. An instant later, said onlooker would have seen how heat waves burst from his eyes, similar to the ones that are seen coming off the road on a hot day.

The heat waves hit the projector screen in splotches, and those places immediately caught on fire. Most of the students started to panic, but Rory knew that in Smallville, things don't spontaneously combust. Someone makes them spontaneously combust.

_Clark? What was that?_

_I think it might have been me._

The connection was broken abruptly as Miss Atkins called out "Okay everybody, walk, do not run! Leave your books," she said to one kid who was picking hers up. "Let's go!"

Clark stood up and looked at the screen, then glanced over at his sister. They were the only two left. "Think we should do something? Or just leave it for the fire fighters?" she asked.

Clark glanced around and looked at the projector screen, which was just about to fall off the wall onto the ground. "No, I started this. Quick, get me the fire extinguisher!"

Rory turned and held out her hand. The fire extinguisher came off the wall an instant later and rocketed towards her. Rory grabbed it out of mid-air and supersped over to Clark, handing him the fire extinguisher. All of a sudden, the fire crackled and small, flaming pieces of the projector screen flew at them. An ember landed on Rory's forearm and she yanked it away, crying out in pain.

"You alright?" Clark asked her in concern.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Put the damn fire out!"

Clark turned back to the fire and sprayed it with the fire extinguisher. Rory stared down at the burn on her arm, the pain receding slightly. She reached out and touched it gently with her fingers, and was shocked when small light blue waves, similar to the ones that sometimes appeared while she was using her powers, jumped out of her fingers and scurried over the burn.

Clark turned around and saw his sister staring at the burn, transfixed. "What's the matter?" he asked, walking over to her. She looked up at him, eyes wide with shock, then back down at her arm.

The burn was gone. 

* * *

**Outside, not long after**  
Clark and Rory stood over by a fire truck with Pete. Clark put his arm around her shoulder, pretending to comfort her. Chloe and Lana were standing not far away being interviewed by a fireman. Suddenly, a silver Ferrari pulled up honking its horn. It pulled to a stop and Lex climbed out, seemingly in a hurry.

Clark and Rory turned towards the car and Clark said, pleased, "Lex!"

Lex walked towards them, saying in a worried tone, "I came as soon as I heard."

"That's sweet, Lex," Rory started to say, but stopped when he walked straight past them and over to Miss Atkins, not even acknowledging that his two best friends were standing right there.

Miss Atkins's expression changed when she saw him and she said happily, "Hi!"

"Hi," Lex replied as he embraced her. Pulling away a little, he kissed her tenderly. "Are you alright?" he asked her, concerned.

Pete, Clark and Rory exchanged looks of confusion.

"I'm fine," Miss Atkins reassured him. Pointing to Clark and Rory, she continued, "Thanks to these two. Guys, come over here for a second." Rory and Clark walked over to them and Miss Atkins went on, "They were the only ones that didn't panic. They actually put the fire out."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lex questioned rhetorically as he smiled at them, still holding onto Miss Atkins. "Once again, I'm grateful to you. Both of you," he said, looking at Rory, making her even more confused.

"And I'm confused," stated Clark.

Lex grinned and said, "You're right, and I'm sorry." He turned to Miss Atkins and continued, "I'd like you to meet Desiree Atkins." Rory and Clark still looked confused, and Lex added, "My fiancée."

Thoughts whirled through both of their minds. Clark's were primarily, _But__ Lex has a crush on Rory… so why is he marrying another woman?_ while Rory's were a little more, _I know that Lex is impulsive, but the last time we talked to him was a week ago and he didn't say anything about being engaged then._

But, though she would never tell anyone, including her beloved brother, the primary emotion she was feeling was jealousy.

Desiree smiled at them, while they just looked stunned. "All clear!" declared a fireman in the background.

"See you two in class," Desiree said. She squeezed Lex's hand as a goodbye and walked off, although Lex seemed reluctant to let her go. The three watched her go, Clark and Rory with confusion on their faces and Lex with love on his.

"Fiancée, huh?" Clark asked Lex.

"I didn't even know you were seeing someone," Rory said, puzzled. "Are you sure about this?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Lex said, staring after Desiree. Suddenly he looked at Rory and she saw confusion in his eyes for a moment. Then he started to rummage in his pockets, breaking eye contact with her. "I was going to have this messengered but, since you're here..." he trailed off, still not meeting Rory's eyes.

He handed Clark a small white envelope. Clark opened it and pulled out the card inside. On the front were two wedding rings. "It's a wedding invitation," Clark stated, surprised. He looked at the date and time and said shocked, "...for tonight."

"I know it's short notice, but I was hoping you'd be my best man," Lex said sincerely. Turning to Rory, he said, "And I would've loved for you to be one of Desiree's bridesmaids, but she'd already chosen two. So I'm sorry."

Rory nodded, pursing her lips for a moment. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Clark was lost for words. "Lex, I – I don't know what to say."

"I hope you'll say yes," he replied.

"Well, I'm surprised..." Clark trailed off, not sure what to say next. Then he saw the look on Lex's face which conveyed how much it meant to him that he would be there and Clark finished, "and honoured."

"Good," Lex said cheerily, clapping Clark on the shoulder. He pointed to the school and said amusedly, "Better get back to the school. You never know when the next fire may erupt."

He walked off towards his car and Rory watched him go. She felt Clark's thoughts brush against hers for a moment and caught a snippet. __

Lex and Rory_  
Sittin__' in a tree..._

She whacked him on the arm and scowled, "Immature much?" He grinned impishly at her and she relented, "Okay, so maybe I like Lex. As a little more than just a friend. But he's getting _married_, Clark. He's going to spend the rest of his life with Desiree. And there's nothing you can do."

She walked off towards the school.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
A/N** **I know I put one of these at the start but I have to say some stuff that you can't read til you've read the rest of the chapter! Rory's new power is not the self-healing power that Claire on Heroes has. ****It's**** a little more like the healing ability the fairies have in the Artemis Fowl books, i.e. she can heal herself **_**and**_** others.****  
Hope you like it! ****Review!  
****Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	12. Heat and Clark's power

**Heat – Twelfth Chapter****  
Kent Farm, Afternoon**  
Rory followed Clark into the house, not knowing that their expressions were identical: concerned.

"Hey guys," Martha said. "How was school?"

Clark turned and looked at her, getting her unspoken permission to be spokesperson. "It was different," he said dryly turning back to their parents.

Jonathan poured two glasses of lemonade as he asked, "Do we like different?"

"There was a fire during biology class," Clark told them. Martha looked up, concerned as Clark went on, "It's okay, only one person got hurt. We stopped it before it spread."

"Well, it sounds like we should be proud of you! Who got hurt?" Martha asked.

Leaving her question unanswered for the time being, Clark said, "I think I started it."

"Wait, you wanna explain that? Please?" Jonathan asked sternly.

"I started to feel hot," Clark explained, a little upset. "And my eyes started to burn. All of a sudden, the spot I was staring at burst into flames."

"Just by looking at it?" Martha asked, amazed.

"Hello? Hi, I'm Clark. I'm the kid that can lift up tractors and see through walls!" he said agitatedly. Rory put her hand on his arm to calm him down and he looked down at her.

"Well, the last time you got a new power Rory got one too," Martha said. "Did anything happen sweetheart? And you still haven't answered my question."

"Which one?" Rory finally spoke up.

"Who got hurt?"

Rory swallowed, trying to remain composed. "I did."

Jonathan, who had always been a little more protective of Rory than Clark because of her invulnerability - or lack of – said sharply, "Where? You didn't say anything did you?"

"No, because there was – is – no evidence that I got hurt," Rory said, upset.

"What?" It was Martha who asked.

Rory showed them her forearm. "I was standing beside Clark and bits of the projector screen started to fly off. One of them hit my forearm and it hurt like crazy. I told Clark to put the fire out, so he did, and while he was occupied I was looking at the burn and then little blue sparks came out of my fingers and the burn was gone!" she exclaimed, losing her cool.

Jonathan spoke up next. "I think we need to work out what triggers these new powers. In your case Rors I'm pretty sure it's just when you get hurt. But Clark-"

Martha caught on to what her husband was thinking and asked, "What were you doing when your eyes started acting up, Clark?"

"We had just met our new biology teacher," Clark recalled.

"And we were watching a film," interrupted Rory.

"An educational film?" asked their mother.

Clark blushed. "A sex educational film."

Martha and Jonathan stared at Clark, a look of comprehension crossing their faces. Clark however looked extremely embarrassed and he went to the table, grabbing a glass of lemonade. Rory was not really paying attention, instead wondering if she might be able to use her new power on others as well.

"This could get very complicated," Jonathan said to his wife.Martha said delicately to her only son, "Uhh... Clark, it's possible that whatever's happened has some sort of… hormonal connection."

"Yes," stated Jonathan quickly.

Clark drained the glass of lemonade and turned back to his family. "Great! So now I'm maturing into a firestarter?" he asked, frustrated.

"You just need practice. Like with your x-ray vision, remember?" Rory reminded him.

"How am I supposed to practice? And for that matter, how are you supposed to practice? You can hardly cut yourself just to experiment," Clark said without thinking. He watched as her face fell and she looked down, biting her lip. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know that it's hard, believe me." Rory didn't smile back at him and he continued, "Remember what I said, last time we got new powers?"

"Ummm… 'I can see through things. How do you control that?'" she replied.

"I never said that!" Clark exclaimed, outraged.

"Yes you did! We have photographic memories remember?" she retorted.

"Obviously selective ones," Clark muttered before saying, "Anyway, that wasn't what I meant. I said, we'll work it out. And we did. And we will again. I promise." _Again,_ he thought.

"Thanks Clark," Rory smiled at him.

Martha leaned her head on Jonathan and he smiled down at her. _It's times like these that I remember why we took them in; why we put ourselves through this, _Jonathan thought happily.__

Because we're family.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
Kent Farm, after the wedding, after the fire at the talon**  
Clark drove the post into the ground, Jonathan standing just behind him. He looked up at the scarecrow, then at his father.

"Okay. Rule number one. Always practice away from the barn," Jonathan said to him. He clapped Clark on the shoulder and they turned, taking a few steps away from the scarecrow.

"Dad, I don't get it. I thought the whole point was to stop this from happening," Clark pointed out.

"Well, in order to find the off switch, first we need to find the on switch, okay? Okay..."

Jonathan turned Clark around until he was facing the scarecrow. Pointing at it, he said, "Now, I want you to remember exactly what you were thinking about the first time this happened."

Clark stared at the scarecrow, acutely aware of his dad standing behind him. His concentration broke when Jonathan clapped him on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "Come on."

Clark stared at the scarecrow... again, trying to concentrate. Then he realized what his problem was. "Um, Dad," he said uncomfortably, "This might be easier if I was..."

"Alone," interrupted Jonathan. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Thanks."

Jonathan turned and walked away, leaving Clark standing all alone. Clark concentrated on the scarecrow again, frustration rising as he still couldn't do it.

Suddenly, a photo was thrust under his nose – a photo of Lana. He turned to look at the person holding it as Rory said to him, "The first time this happened, we were in biology. You were staring at Desiree, remember? The second time, you were with Lana. Maybe, it's not just a hormonal thing. Maybe, you have to think about..."

"Sex?" he asked, uncomfortable.

She pulled the photo back and shrugged. "Clark, I know that this is really weird, talking to me about it, but stuff like this? I'm not sure how Mom and Dad would react." She hesitated, searching for the right thing to say. "They say that the only person who will be with you your whole life is you. But I'm gonna be there for you until the day I die."

Clark smiled at her. "I can't think of anything that compares to that so –" he hesitated, "I'll always be there for you too, Aurora Kent."

He only used her full name when he was really serious. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "So," she said, looking up at him, "What do ya say, should we burn this scarecrow for its evil crimes against scarecrowkind?"

Clark laughed, then looked at the scarecrow. Rory let go of him and stepped away a few metres. He looked down at the photo she had pushed into his hand, then back up at the scarecrow.

His eyes started to feel hot again, and this time, he also felt the heat waves burst out. He could almost feel them hit the scarecrow as well.Rory clapped and cheered. He turned to look at her, a huge grin on his face, and whispered, "Thanks."**  
**

* * *

**  
A/N Nice sweet moment between Rory and Clark at the end, but I'm not exactly sure about it so tell me if you think it sucks please.****  
You know what to do, all feedback welcome except flames!  
****Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	13. Heat and Rory's power

**Heat – Thirteenth Chapter  
****Luthor Mansion**  
Lex stared at Jonathan, who stared back angrily. Jonathan cocked the shotgun and aimed it straight at his chest. Lex held his hands out in front of him and slowly began to back away as he said calmly, "I know you, Mr Kent. You're not a murderer."

Lex reached to pick his phone up off the desk and jumped back when it exploded under his hand. Sweat poured down his face as Jonathan yelled angrily, "I'm not letting you add Desiree's name to your list of victims!"

Lex repressed his panic as much as he could, but still let some show as he said desperately, "She's using you, Mr Kent. Whatever she told you, it's not true."

Instead of answering, Jonathan just recocked the gun and aimed it at Lex again.

Suddenly the doors to the study burst open and Rory and Clark ran in. They processed the situation at superspeed and Clark yelled, "Dad! Don't!"

He was too late though, as Jonathan pulled the trigger and Lex was frozen in fear. Everything slowed down for the twins as they reacted instantaneously. Rory ran to Lex, throwing him out of the way, as Clark used his new heat vision to melt the bullet when it went past him.

Lex and Rory crashed to the ground, neither of them hurt until Jonathan cocked the gun again and came over to where they were. He aimed the gun straight at Lex's head as Rory looked up at him. "Dad! No!" she yelled as he fired the gun. Once again, everything slowed down but she still didn't have much time. She grabbed Lex's arm and dragged him out of the way. Then she felt his whole body shudder as the bullet entered his body.

Clark was there already, grabbing the gun and yanking out of Jonathan's hands. "Clark!" Jonathan yelled at him as the two struggled for control of the gun. After a while of fighting like this, Clark managed to spin him around and shoved him back. Jonathan hit his head on the edge of one of the bookcases and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Meanwhile, Rory stared at the blood pooling from the wound in Lex's arm. _Well, I guess now is as good a time to experiment __as any,_she thought. She remembered an episode of a show called Roswell that she had seen once, where this alien guy healed this girl of a bullet wound. _It's__ completely ridiculous but I have nothing else to go on so..._

She pressed her hands to his arm and shut her eyes, picturing Lex healed and healthy.

It didn't work.

Rory sat back on her heels and instead tried to remember what she had been thinking the last time, when she'd healed her burn. _I was thinking about... how much it __hurt?__ But I __don't__ know what a bullet feels like! _She stared at his arm again and realized that she had to repeat exactly what she had done for her burn.

This time, instead of putting both of her hands on the wound, she put her fingers to it and thought about how much it must be hurting Lex. She shut her eyes and concentrated for a few seconds, then opened her eyes again and gasped as she saw the blue sparks running over his arm. Seconds later the bullet wound disappeared and Lex opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked as he sat up. Forgetting about Desiree, Rory smiled at him and replied, "When Dad – when Dad tried to shoot you the second time Clark pushed him out of the way. When I was trying to get you out, you hit your head on the desk and it knocked you out."

Lex stared at her, puzzled. "But – I could've sworn that the bullet hit me."

He looked down at his arm and saw that it wasn't hurt. There was no blood on his shirtsleeve either.

Rory remembered why they had come here and turned to see that Clark had taken care of Desiree by melting the door handle. She looked over at Jonathan and ran over to him when she saw he was unconscious.

"Dad? Dad, wake up," she said to him. As if on cue, his eyes opened and he asked roughly, "What happened?"

Rory hugged her father and said softly, "I'm glad you're okay."

* * *

**A/****N Basically**** just a filler and it's really short but I had to have Rory's power in there too. The next chapter will be longer I promise! Oh, and Roswell is this really awesome show which I don't own either. Poor me.****  
Review!**** You know you want to...****  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX  
****P.S.**** I enabled anonymous reviews now!**


	14. Red

**A/N Now I know that nobody's actually gonna read this, but I apologize for not having updated in a month. Also this is a replacement for the last chapter cause it was crap. Thank you.  
****  
**

* * *

**  
Red – Fourteenth Chapter  
**"Nothing says school spirit like a ring that looks like it was jacked from P. Diddy," Chloe announced to her friends (sarcastically of course).

"I think it looks great Chloe," Clark said sincerely.

"Yeah, and I think we'll be lucky if the glue holds through graduation," Chloe shot back cynically. A curious look appeared on her face. "I wonder if the ruby's even real." Rory grabbed her hand and stared at the ring critically.

"You know what? You could be right," Rory said. Looking at Chloe and dropping her hand, she asked, "Wanna check it out?"

"Let's go," Chloe said. They linked arms and walked off towards the Torch. Pete and Clark watched them walk off for a moment, then walked over to the table the class rings were being handed out from.

"You sure you're gonna do this?" Pete asked Clark.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Clark said nonchalantly.

Pete gave him an it's-your-funeral look which Clark saw, and replied to with an oh-so-original, "What?"

Pete shook his head as he said, "I believe your dad's exact words were, '$350 dollars is a lot of money to spend on something you really don't need.'"

"I earned that money," Clark said matter-of-factly. "Besides, he said it was my decision to make."

Pete snorted and said, "Which means that you're _really _not supposed to buy it."

Pete handed his order form to the girl at the table and she gave him a ring. Clark handed her his order form and she gave him one as well. He opened the box and took a look at it. It was a standard men's class ring, with a red stone in the middle. Clark slipped it onto his ring finger.

If anyone – say, Pete, or even Clark – had of been looking at that hand, they would've seen something strange happen. The veins in Clark's hand began to ripple, like they sometimes did when he was around the meteor rocks. Only instead of rippling green, they were rippling red. Also, instead of remaining in the one spot, it was moving up his arm and under his shirt sleeve, leaving no trace behind.

As soon as he put the ring on, Clark felt like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders – like he was finally free. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling, and exhaled with an almost-sigh. Pete looked at him with concern and asked, "You feelin' alright?"

"Yeah, I'm great," Clark said.

"Excuse me," they heard a male voice say. They looked up and saw Lana with a pretty blonde girl. The blonde was wearing tight, low-slung jeans and a sheer, sleeveless, black midriff top. She didn't look very impressed with her surroundings. The principal, Mr. Gibbons, was frowning at her in annoyance. It was he who had spoken.

"It's Jessie, isn't it?" he asked. Jessie nodded and Mr Gibbons continued, "Perhaps Miss Lang didn't tell you, but there's a dress code here at Smallville High."

"Lame and lamer?" Jessie said defiantly.Clark started to laugh, drawing their attention.

"You think that's funny, Mr Kent?" Mr Gibbons asked, a little annoyed. Clark just grinned at him.

Jessie turned back to him and said obstinately, "By the way, I'm not changing."

"Well, perhaps you'd like to discuss your attitude in my office," he said matter-of-factly. He turned to walk down the hall. Jessie rolled her eyes, but started to follow him anyway.

"Excuse me, Mr Gibbons…" Clark called out after them, walking down the hallway after them. They both turned to look at him and Clark said, "I think she looks really hot. And I think that your dress code… sucks."

Lana and Pete exchanged looks of shock, while Jessie was obviously enjoying herself. "Excuse me?" Mr Gibbons asked incredulously.

"I mean, come on… it's her first day. Cut her some slack," Clark said casually. Looking Mr Gibbons up and down, he said with a raised eyebrow, "Besides, I don't think you should be the one giving fashion tips."

Pete and Lana's mouths dropped open in shock as the bell rang. Mr Gibbons stared at Clark disbelievingly for a moment, then he turned to Jessie and said threateningly, "Tomorrow, young lady… proper attire, or you're going straight home."

He walked off, and Jessie's gaze fell onto Clark. He stared right back until Lana interrupted, saying, "I guess we should finish the tour."

They walked away and Clark watched them leave. Pete came up to Clark and said amazedly, "Where did that come from?"

"I dunno," he said. "But I think I liked it."  
**  
**

* * *

**  
After school has finished  
**"And you're sure? He actually disagreed with an adult in a position of authority?" Rory asked disbelievingly.

"Yes! I'm sure. It was really weird, too," Lana replied. "He also said that the new girl – Jessie – looks hot."

"Clark said that."

"Yep."

"_Clark,_ as in my brother Clark, as in…" Rory struggled to find another comparison without tipping Lana off to the fact that Clark had had a crush on Lana since kindergarten. "As in… well you know what I mean! It's Clark!"

"I know! It was really, really weird."

"So, did anything unusual happen to him before that? Like, say, an anvil falling from the sky onto his head?" Rory asked. Lana laughed as they left the school building. Rory scanned the crowd, looking for her brother and saw him with Pete, talking to a girl she didn't know. Nudging Lana, she asked, "Hey, is that Jessie?"

Lana looked over at them and Rory saw her face fall as Jessie grabbed Clark's hand and wrote something on it. "Yeah, that's her," Lana said, unenthused.

Rory grinned and said, "You're jealous."

"I am not!" Lana objected, a little too quickly. Rory looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What? It's," she shrugged and said a little wistfully, "It's _Clark._"

"You totally like him! Oh, that would be so cool," Rory said happily.

"What would?" Lana asked. "Actually, don't answer that. I'm not even sure I wanna know."

They walked over to Pete and Clark, catching the last few words of something Pete was saying. "…in your imagination?"

"What's in Clark's imagination?" Lana asked, clearly wanting to distract Rory.

Pete glanced nervously at Clark, who instead of also being nervous, simply smiled and said mysteriously, "Wouldn't you love to know?"

There was an awkward silence as Lana and Clark stared at each other for a moment, Lana puzzled, Clark pleased.

"So!" Rory said to break said silence. "Who was that you were talking to Clark?"

"I told you just be-" Lana was cut off when Rory elbowed her gently (for her) in the stomach.

Rory smiled angelically at her brother and said, "Clark?"

"Jessie. The new girl," Clark replied, unruffled by their display of 'affection'.

"You seem to be becoming fast friends," Rory said questioningly.

"I'm just trying to make her feel welcome," Clark replied innocently. Looking at Lana, he said flirtatiously, "Don't worry, Lana. I haven't taken my eyes off you all day."

Pete and Rory exchanged shocked looks, while Lana simply stared at Clark incredulously, surprised by his boldness. Deciding to pass over it, she asked, "So you two still up for that cram session tonight at the Talon?" making sure to include Pete in her question.

"If you're still going to be there? Absolutely," Clark replied, still flirty.

"Yeah, I'll be there," said Pete, giving Clark a strange look which he ignored. He smiled at the girls and Lana laughed a little before walking away.

"See ya tonight!" Rory called after her; she lifted her hand in acknowledgement and flicked it to the side. **(I'm sure you know what I mean.)**

Rory turned to Clark with an amazed look on her face, not to mention a huge grin. "Where did that come from?"

Clark simply grinned at her and said, "Listen, I gotta go."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I won't be home 'til later."

"And how do I get home? You have the keys to the truck." **(I'm not sure what the driving laws are in America, but let's just say that they can drive at 15)**

Clark snorted. "Please, Rory. You can run faster than the speed of sound, and you're worried about not being able to get home?" He looked at her in disdain. "See ya!" With that, he turned and walked off. Rory stared after him, as did Pete.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" she muttered under her breath.

"My thoughts exactly," Pete agreed.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
Kent Farm  
**Rory supersped into the barn, dumping her bag in the loft and rushing back down to her parents. "Hey sweetie," Martha smiled, handing her a cup of coffee.

"I thought that was for me," Jonathan protested, standing up beside his motorcycle.

"No, this is for you," Martha replied, handing him another cup that had been sitting on the bench behind her.

"Hey, Dad, I gotta go do my chores, so, uh… You wanted the garage door fixed, right?" She grabbed a hammer and a screwdriver and made to leave.

"No, 'Rora, fixing the garage door is your brother's job. You need to go feed and water the livestock," he said to her. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Where's who?" she asked innocently.

"Aurora…" Jonathan said warningly.

She slumped and said, "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Martha asked, concerned. "Clark tells you everything."

"After school he took off somewhere. He wouldn't tell me where, and he kept the keys to the truck, so…" Rory trailed off, knowing that her parents would either be understanding, or they'd nail him for it when he came home. Or both. "Soooo… what's your response?"

"Well, I wish he'd told you where he was going, but he's responsible and he's not reckless or stupid. I think we can trust him," Martha said reasonably.

"I think that he should have been home to fix that garage door," Jonathan said sternly.

"Yeah, well…" Rory stood there awkwardly for a moment. "The livestock awaits!" She handed him the screwdriver and hammer and supersped away.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
Kent Farm, later (sunset or dusk or twilight, whatever you wanna call it – bout an hour before then)**  
Rory walked into the house and saw her mother sitting at the table, looking over what appeared to be bills. "Hey Mom, I'm gonna have to go soon. Me, Lana, Chloe, Pete and Clark are gonna do some studying at the Talon tonight."

Martha looked at her. "Clark hasn't come home yet."

"Oh." Rory twisted her hands together and said, "Well, I promised Lana I'd be there early, so…"

"I understand. Go on, have fun," Martha said with a smile.

"Mom, we're gonna be studying," Rory laughed.

"Exactly! Besides, with your memory, who needs to?"

"Mom! You're supposed to encourage me to study, not tell me not to!" she said in mock horror.

Martha laughed and said, her eyes twinkling, "Go on, sweetie. I'll call you when he gets home, 'kay?"

"Okay," she said quietly. Rory hugged her and said, "Love you Mom."

"I love you too 'Rora," she replied. "Now shoo! Get out!"

"I'm going!" she called over her shoulder, superspeeding to the barn to get her stuff and then off to the Talon.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
Half an hour later, still at the Kent Farm  
**Marta heard the sound of the truck pulling up outside just as she finished making the pasta sauce. She looked out the window and saw Clark get out. Grabbing the phone, she dialled the Talon and waited as it rang a few times before someone picked up.

"The Talon, Lana speaking," she heard.

"Lana, hi, it's Martha. Could I speak to Rory please?"

"Sure Mrs. Kent, I'll put her on for you." Martha heard Lana say distantly, "It's for you." She then heard someone walk across the floor and grab the phone.

"Mom?"

"He's home."

Clark opened the door and stepped inside just as she said this. "In fact, he just came through the door."

"Great! Tell him that Pete and Chloe are gonna be here soon and," she stopped, and Martha assumed she was checking to see if Lana was out of earshot. "And tell him not to run, okay?" she whispered.

"Got it. No running. He'll be there later."

"Bye," Rory said cheerfully.

"Bye." Martha hung up the phone and said to Clark playfully, "Well, aren't you home a little bit late?"

"Just a little," Clark replied. Nodding towards the phone, he asked, "Rors?"

"Yep," Martha confirmed.

Just then Jonathan walked in. "Where were you?" he asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"Elsewhere," Clark replied cryptically.

"I thought you were supposed to be here. Working on the garage door," Jonathan said in his no-nonsense voice.

"Dad, that'll take like, two seconds," Clark said, almost patronizingly.

Jonathan nodded, then frowned as he saw the ring on Clark's finger. "I thought we agreed you weren't getting that ring."

"And I thought we agreed it was my decision to make," Clark retorted. He turned his back on them and started to fiddle with the ring.

"That's because I assumed you'd make the right one," Jonathan said sternly. "Clark, that ring cost a lot of money-"

"And I'm tired of watching every nickel and dime around here!" Clark burst out angrily, turning back to them.

"Uh, Clark, why don't you go and get changed? Rory said something about a study session at the Talon," Martha attempted to calm them down.

Clark glared at his father and said bitterly, "I have chores to do." He walked out and Martha looked at Jonathan, confused.

"What was that all about?" Jonathan asked, stunned.

She shrugged and said, "I think our not-so-normal son might be going through some classic teenage rebellion."

"Well, I think I liked dealing with heat vision a lot better than dealing with that," Jonathan replied unhappily. Martha just smiled, amused. Jonathan looked at her and said seriously, "Martha, that was a bad decision he made."

"But it was his to make," Martha reassured him. She continued knowingly, "I seem to recall a certain young man who defied his father and spent $500 on an old motorcycle."

Jonathan grinned, remembering, and Martha went on, "Challenging him is only going to make it worse."

Jonathan sighed and shook his head, a small smile lingering on his lips. 

* * *

**A/N I realized earlier that I never described Rory, so here's a little bio of her.**

Name: Aurora Kent  
Nicknames: Rory, Rora, Rors  
Fears: Bats, Vampires (mwahahaha)  
Appearance: Long blonde hair, blue eyes, good figure (not super skinny), beautiful. (She has to be, she's Kryptonian.)  
Hobbies/Interests: Reading books, playing music, riding

And now you can review and berate me for not updating in so long. Please? 


	15. Red Part 2

**Red – Fifteenth Chapter****  
The**** Talon, Night-time**  
Rory took a sip of her coffee and put her notes down, checking her watch. Chloe noticed and said, "Hey, wasn't Clark supposed to be here?"

"Yes," Rory said shortly.

"So… where is he?"

"He'll be here. Soon."

Pete laughed. "Which translates as you have no idea."

"Exactly."

Pete looked at her meaningfully and tapped his head, making sure Lana and Chloe didn't see. Rory understood and found his thoughts. _I thought you two had a __connection?_

Rory grimaced and rolled her eyes. _So… you __don't?_

She moved her eyes from side to side. _You __do?_

She moved them up and down. _Doesn't__ that mean you should always be able to tell where he is?_

Rory scribbled something down on a piece of paper and slid it over to Pete stealthily. It said, _I can ask him, but __he's__ not answering. It's kinda like a cell phone; just __cause__ you make the call, doesn't mean they have to pick up._

He nodded understandingly just as someone knocked on the door. Lana got up to answer it as Pete said to Chloe and Rory, "I think we should start in the middle…"

Lana opened the door and saw Clark standing there. "Hey Clark… glad you made it," she said, smiling. Gesturing to Pete, Chloe and Rory, she continued, "Uh, we're just doing American History – the Red Scare."

She started to walk back towards them, but Clark didn't move. "Why don't we do it tomorrow instead?" he asked.

Lana turned and walked back to Clark. "Why, is something wrong?" she asked him, a little concerned.

"No, it's really nice out tonight. Let's go for a drive… or we could go dancing," Clark offered suggestively.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Lana said incredulously. Clark noticed Rory's head shoot up and smirked at her as she stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock.

"I'm asking you to have some fun with me," Clark replied intensely, returning his attention to Lana.

She stared at him, unsure what had come over him. She cleared her throat, saying, "This is, uh... a little unexpected to say the least." Hardening her resolve, she said firmly, "But we really have to study."

"Did you know that when you get all serious, your nose crinkles up?" he asked her, amused. She couldn't believe what came out of his mouth next. "It's really sexy," was what Lana thought she heard, but _that __can't__ be right. I mean, this is Clark!_

Confused, surprised and pleased, all at the same time, Lana couldn't think of a reply, so instead she simply said, "Chloe, Pete and Rory are waiting for us."

Lana turned away and walked back to the table, this time with Clark following her. Rory, Chloe and Pete were still discussing what to study first as Lana sat next to Rory and Clark yanked out a chair, turned it around and sat, straddling it.

"What did you get for number 5?" Chloe asked the group at large, checking Pete's notebook as she did so.

Pete wasn't paying attention though, asking Clark, "Hey, man. Where are your books?"

Clark was silent for a moment, staring at Rory's head. "You guys wanna go to a bar?" he asked suddenly.

Clark was rewarded when his sister looked up so fast she almost pulled a muscle. He smirked at her as she stared at him.

Chloe snorted and said sarcastically, "Clark, you can commit academic Harikari, but the rest of us _really_ need to cram for this test."__

Not you, Rors, Clark thought, still smirking.__

I happen to enjoy spending time with my friends, and if they are studying, then I might as well.

Clark grinned like the Cheshire Cat and said cajolingly, "You guys, high school is supposed to be fun. This," he gestured at their books contemptuously, "is not fun."

Pete and Lana were both looking tempted. _It's__ times like these I could use your help, sister dear.___

Too bad.

"Come on," he continued nonchalantly. "My treat."

"Clark, since when did you and the money truck hook up?" Pete asked jokingly, not expecting an answer.

"Since I decided there's no profit in playing poverty," Clark replied.

Chloe looked at Clark weirdly as she stood up, this being her first encounter with 'New Clark'. "I'm gonna go get a refill, and I'm gonna get you some decaf," she said in her Chloe voice, accompanied by her trademark Chloe look. **(Pretty sure**** you know what I mean)**

Lana followed her lead and said, "Yeah, I'll give you a hand." She gave Clark a concerned look.

Catching her looking at him, he smiled at her charmingly. Something in that smile made her breath catch and her heart skip a beat – something she'd never felt before. Lana quickly looked away, the after-effects of... whatever that was still lingering, teasing her.

She followed Chloe over to the counter, barely registering that Rory had been uncharacteristically quiet. Now Pete, Clark and Rory were the only ones left at the table.

Rory watched her brother, unhappy with his sudden, random change in behaviour. As if _he _could hear _her_ thoughts, a change spread over his face, his eyebrows shooting up, his smirk reappearing. He looked like... like the cat that got the cream, or the canary, or something.

Turning around, she found what he was looking at and gasped softly. She kicked his leg, knowing it wouldn't hurt him but get his attention. Unfortunately, he was so wrapped up in his trance that it didn't work.

"Did you know Chloe has a birthmark on her cheek?" Clark asked Pete, innuendo lacing his voice.

"No she doesn't," Pete replied automatically. _He should know,_ Rory thought, _he's__ always thinking about her._

Back when she had been unable to control her mind-reading power, Rory had often 'seen' into his mind. Mostly when Chloe was around, as they had all been working in the Torch or the Talon. Every time that Pete and Chloe were in the same room as her, she'd find that pretty much every one of his thoughts focused on her.

Now that she could control it, she gave people their privacy. After all, a person's mind is their last sanctuary, and to violate that knowingly and without their permission was just wrong.

Returning to the original conversation...

"Not that cheek," Clark said with laughter in his voice.

Pete looked up at him and quickly followed his eyeline, which was looking at exactly what he had feared... Chloe's backside.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Oh believe me, he is," Rory answered disgustedly for him.

"Clark, that's _Chloe_ you're scooping, man!" Pete said, extremely annoyed.

Clark half shook his head and said, "Not just Chloe..."

Pete looked at the girls and saw that Lana was now leaning on the counter too, her back to them. He reached over and waved his hand in front of Clark's face, attempting to cover up his x-ray vision. _Which is __kinda__ stupid, I mean he can just look straight through it._

Clark grinned and looked away, Rory still staring at him, trying to express her displeasure without speaking. At all.

"Come on, let's go have some fun," Clark said.

"Clark, this test is half our grade. Now, if you wanna party this weekend, I'm with you, but right now _I _need to study," Pete said, half laughing.

"What about you, Rors?" Clark asked her, ignoring Pete now that he knew he wasn't coming. "Maybe we can hook you up with some guy – help you get over Jared."

"I am over Jared!" Rory replied heatedly.

Ignoring her, Clark said thoughtfully, "Perhaps you'd like to date Lex."

Rory stared at him in shock, not understanding.

"Oh come on Aurora," he said mockingly. "A blind man could see he's majorly got the hots for you!"

"Lex and I are just friends," she replied.

Smirking, he leaned across the table towards her. "One, that's what I always said about Lana, remember? And two..." He let it hang there, before finishing the thought. "Two, maybe you – and him – want to be something... more."

The almost-challenge lingered in the air as Clark replied to Pete, "So, uh... when you're through with Boring 101, give me a call." He winked at his sister and walked out. Chloe and Lana looked up, Pete turned to watch him leave, and Rory of course was still watching him, making it four pairs of eyes that watched as their friend, possible love interest, best friend and other half/twin brother (respectively) left the building.**  
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A/N ****A**** little shorter than normal I know, but it seemed like a good place to finish. There will be one more ****Red ****chapter, but then ****it's**** back to normal. Hope you liked it.**


	16. Red Part 3

**Red – Sixteenth Chapter****  
Kent Farm  
**"You're kidding!" Jonathan said into the phone. "Thank you." He hung up and turned to Martha.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, seeing the concern on his face.

"That was the credit card company," he replied. "They were calling to verify some charges that were made on our card, last night."

Martha looked confused and Rory came down the stairs, still wearing her pyjamas.

"Someone's playing really loud rock music in the barn, guys," she said sleepily.

As if on cue, strains of music began floating through the window. Rory woke up a little more and yawned. "Any coffee, Mom?"

Martha pointed at the pot and said, "I think we should go check that out."

"Good idea," Jonathan agreed.

"Coming," Rory mumbled.

Martha and Jonathan walked outside. Rory took a deep gulp of her coffee and followed, clutching the mug in her hands.

Walking into the barn, the two parents stopped, shocked at what they saw (and heard). There was all sorts of expensive looking wires hanging from the loft, boxes from other things scattered everywhere. But the thing that really caught their eyes was the jet ski. Martha walked over to the jet ski and picked up a shirt, feeling it. "This is silk!" she shouted over the music.

Rory heard her and thought, _Oh yes, never mind the jet ski!_ Her mind quickly caught up and she blinked. _Wait a sec. Jet ski?!_ She supersped past her parents and into the loft.

They felt the breeze and quickly followed her, finding Clark, sitting in the middle of the loft, in front of a large projector screen, playing video games. Rory was wide awake now, staring angrily at her brother.

"Clark!" Martha yelled at him. He didn't respond.

"Clark!" Jonathan cried, but Clark still did nothing.

Rory rolled her eyes and went to the wall, pulling out the electricity cable. The music stopped, the screen flickered off and Clark looked up, eyes flaming.

"Where did you get all this?" Jonathan asked him normally before he could yell at her.

"Discount Eddie's in Metropolis. 'Open all night'!" Clark said, still glaring at Rory.

She glared right back as Jonathan said, "You mean you took our credit cards, and you bought all this junk?"

Clark's gaze flickered to his father for a moment and he said coolly, "I figure I should be allowed to have the all same cool stuff everyone else has."

"Clark Kent, you stole from us," Jonathan said angrily.

"No. I used your credit cards," Clark said as though he was speaking to someone very stupid. "What's the big deal? We don't have to pay for it right away."

Martha gasped and Rory shook her head. Jonathan grabbed a leather motorcycle jacket and tossed it at Clark, who caught it one handed. "Well, I'll tell you the big deal," said Jonathan. "The big deal is that you are going to take all of this stuff right back, right now."

"Yeah, right," Clark scoffed.

He pulled the motorcycle jacket on just as Rory spoke up. "What's wrong with you, Clark?" He looked up at her, coldness in his eyes. She went on sadly, "I don't even know who you are anymore."

"Well, sweetheart, this is the real me," he said sarcastically, spreading his arms wide. "Maybe you should stop trying to shelter me all the time, because I don't need your protection!"

She gaped at him, tears springing to her eyes. He'd _never _spoken to her like that, not even the time when she'd accidently ripped the head off his teddy bear. And it hadn't just been any teddy bear, but his favourite teddy bear, the one he'd gotten from their grandma before she died.

"I'm out of here," Clark said dismissively, turning and jumping out the window. Rory ran over to it and stared down at her brother, unable to understand why he was acting this way.

She didn't notice her parents come up behind her, and only heard their yells faintly, as though she was a long way away. Rory walked over to the couch and sat down on it, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it to her chest tightly. Her parents came over, sitting on either side of her and hugging her as she cried quietly.  
**  
**

* * *

**As before, I'm gonna skip this stuff until the bit with Chloe and the Torch. Okay?****  
**

* * *

**  
The Torch, the next day  
**Chloe scrutinised the rock in her hand, taking note of the red veins running through it, spinning it around in her hands. The door swung open and she looked up as Rory and Pete came through the door.

"You guys, you are not going to believe this," she said excitedly as she stood, putting the rock down. "Our El Cheapo class rings are, in fact, fake." She paused and stared at Rory hard for a moment. "Hey, weren't you s'posed to be helping me with my exposé?"

"There's something wrong with Clark, Chloe," Rory said seriously.

"More than usual?" Chloe said, amused. The look on her friend's face made her serious too, and she said, "What makes you think that?"

Pete shrugged and said, "Last night at the Talon, the motorcycle..." He trailed off as Chloe bent over her desk to retrieve the rock. His gaze fell to her backside, and he blushed, continuing hastily, "...other stuff..."

"What kind of other stuff?" Chloe asked, curiosity aroused as she handed the rock to Rory, who turned it over in her hands, examining it.

"The kind that makes my parents think he's on drugs, or something like that. Chloe-"

"Wait a minute. Clark on drugs? Clark would have to be on drugs to be on drugs," Chloe stated with finality.

"Chloe..." Rory tried again.

"What?"

"Exactly. What is this?" she asked, casually tossing the rock back and forth between her hands.

"Be careful!" Chloe grabbed it back and replied, "My exposé. The one that _you _promised to help me with, remember?"

"I get it, Chloe. What's up with the rock already?" Rory asked irritably.

"I'm getting there," Chloe replied. Walking behind her desk, she held out her hand and said, "See this lovely, $350 piece of school spirit?" Pete and Rory nodded impatiently and Chloe continued, "It's a rip-off. The Jewellery Company was substituting worthless meteor rocks for rubies to save money."

Rory stared at her, things finally beginning to make sense to her now. Pete, however, didn't believe her."Chloe," he said, "the ring's _red_. Meteor rocks are _green_."

Chloe said smugly, "Not the load they found near Hobbes Pond." She held the rock out for him to see. "Note the red vein."

Pete took the rock and looked at said vein, pieces of the metaphorical puzzle falling into place, just as they had for Rory only seconds ago.

Chloe continued, oblivious to their discovery, "I'm gonna force a recall, cause every single one of those rings is made with this. You can read all about it on page one of today's Torch." She turned away, retrieving something from her desk and Rory was gone, papers rustling slightly as she left.

Pete ran out after her. Chloe turned back to an empty room. She looked around, blinking, then realized something. "He damn well better bring that rock back!" she muttered hotly.**  
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**  
Kent Farm, like 5 minutes later** **(Remember, Pete drives a really fast car and he broke all the speed limits. Which I do not recommend.)**  
"Mom! Dad!" Rory yelled as she supersped into the house.

"Please, honey, no superspeeding in the house, 'kay?" Martha said.

"Emergency," Rory replied, dropping into a seat.

"What, another one?" Jonathan asked.

"Bigger than all those that have come before," she said dramatically. "Pete and I, we worked out why Clark's been acting all weird."

That caught their attention. "Really? What?" Martha asked, her maternal instinct coming to the surface, not that it was ever far away.

Rory looked down and swore when she realized she didn't have the rock. "The ring... the rock..." She tried to remember what Chloe had said. "Oh! Chloe said that the rings, the class rings, the jewellery company put red meteor rocks on them instead of rubies to save money. And Pete and I, we figured that if the green meteor rocks affect us, then the red ones must as well."

"If you're right, then thank God you didn't get one as well," Martha said with concern.

"Where is Pete?" Jonathan asked.

Rory smacked her head and said, "I left him behind, I was so worried about Clark and he – he's got the rock!"

"What rock?"

"The rock, the meteor rock, the one with red streaks in it – I should go find him –"

Suddenly they heard a car screech up outside, then footsteps running towards the house. Pete burst through the door and handed the rock to Rory, practically skidding to a stop. "You told them, right?"

"As much as I could without this. See the red vein?" she asked of her parents, pointing it out to them. 

They took a good look and Pete said, "Chloe's gonna force a recall because all of the rings are made of this stuff."

"And you really think that this is what's causing Clark's behaviour?" Jonathan asked, looking at Pete's ring.

"Well, that is when it all started, right Pete?" Rory asked.

Pete nodded and finished for her, "When he put on that ring."

"So you think that if the green rocks affect you two physically, then the red ones affect you... emotionally?" Martha asked.

"Yeah. Or it could be mentally, I mean maybe they screw with our attitudes, values and beliefs or something," Rory said.

"It would explain the personality changes," Jonathan said, handing the rock back to Rory.

"The longer he – and you," Martha began, directing the last bit at Rory, "are exposed to the green rocks, the worse it gets."

Rory went pale as she realized what her mother meant. "If the same is true for the red ones..."

They stood there in silent for a moment, then Jonathan said quietly, "God help us all."

"We have to find him and get the ring off of him," Rory stated determinedly.

"Yes, but how?" Martha said, frustrated. "If he doesn't want to do something, then none of us are strong enough to force him. Not even you, Rora."

"Hey!" Rory said, insulted. "He might be stronger, but I'm faster! Besides Mom, the thing is that Clark has a weakness, just like everyone. As much as I hate to... we could use it against him."

Jonathan said sternly, "Then you are not to be there, understand? We'll have to put it in the lead box, and once it comes out it will hurt you too."

The rational part of Rory knew that he was right, but the stubborn part of her wanted to argue that if Clark tried to run, she was the only one who could catch him. "Fine," she said sulkily.

Jonathan smiled.**  
**

* * *

**  
That random cornfield where this bit happens****, the day after that one up there (I think)**  
Jessie ran through the cornfield, glancing over her shoulder every couple of seconds, feeling as though her lungs would burst. She checked behind herself again and slammed into what felt like a brick wall. She fell to the ground, groaning a little in pain.

Clark watched with an amused expression as she pulled herself to a sitting position. He squatted down so they were on eye level, watching her eyes grow wide in fear as she saw him.

"Please don't do this," she begged.

Clark grabbed her bag, ignoring her plea, and ripped it open, pulling out the disks. Holding them up he said, "I never realized how easy it would be to get everything I've ever wanted."

Clark heard footsteps approaching from behind. "Clark!" yelled a familiar voice.

"Pete," Clark said, amused. He stood up and turned to face him. "What, did it take the whole study group to find me?" he said cockily.

"No," Pete said seriously. "Lionel Luthor heard you mention Jessie." Looking over Clark's shoulder, he said, "Jessie, run."

She reached up and grabbed the bag and the disks, yanking them out of Clark's hand before scrambling to her feet and running. He made no move to stop her, not even glancing after her.

"How far is she going to get, Pete?" he asked. He took a step towards Pete and said menacingly, "You know no one can get away from me."

"Clark!" came the sound of another familiar voice.

Clark turned, feeling very annoyed now, and saw Jonathan, wielding a sledgehammer.

"Ah! Daddy Dearest," Clark said sarcastically. "But where is my darling sister?"

"Not here," replied Jonathan bravely. "Pete, do it."

Clark turned around and looked down at the lead box Pete was holding in his hands. He opened it, and inside were several green meteor rocks. Clark looked at Pete, fear on his face, and gasped, "Ahh. So that's why she's not here."

"Clark, I'm sorry," Pete apologized.

Clark fell onto his hands and knees, trying to take deep breaths.

"Clark!" Jonathan called.

Clark looked up at him, rage making his face ugly **(chyeah, like that's possible) ** and formed a fist, attempting to punch him. Jonathan swung the sledgehammer down at his fist, smashing it into the ring and destroying the gem.

Clark collapsed onto the ground and Jonathan dropped the sledgehammer, dropping to his knees beside his son. Pete closed the lead box and went over to him too. Jonathan pulled Clark into his arms as Clark opened his eyes and began to look around in confusion.

"Dad?" he murmured fuzzily.

"It's okay, son. It's alright," Jonathan said, hugging him tight.

Pete patted Clark's shoulder, reassuring himself that his friend was okay.

"Thanks, Pete," said Jonathan, grateful.

Pete just nodded.

* * *

**Kent Farm, later that day  
**Clark walked into the house, seeing his father setting the kitchen table for dinner and his mother preparing said dinner.

"Hi," said Martha.

"Hey," Clark said back quietly.

Jonathan remained silent, something Clark noticed.

"You know Dad, the things that I did, and said..." Clark spoke hesitantly, apologetically. "I really didn't mean any of them."

Jonathan sighed and said matter-of-factly, "Clark, the red meteor rocks may have affected your personality, but... we've got to face it, those feelings came from somewhere."

Clark nodded, knowing that his father had a point. A sound from the stairs made him look, and he saw his sister regarding him with cold eyes.

He turned to look at her front-on, offering her a weak smile which she didn't return. The silence stretched out until Clark said, "You know, I'm back to normal now."

"Hooray," Rory said, no emotion in her voice.

The silence went on as though they hadn't spoken.

Clark sighed and said, "Look, Rors, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of what I – he – said. It was the other me talking. The crazy one, the one that doesn't know how important you are to me."

Rory remained impassive. "How important to you am I then?"

"Extremely important," he replied, swallowing. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Rory continued, expressionless, "Well, I heard what Dad said, and according to his theory, the 'other you' is just a manifestation of all your pent-up emotions. Which basically means that you hate me."

"No I don't!" Clark yelled before she could even finish talking. Calming down, he said, "If I hate you so much, then how come I never get mad at you like normal brothers and sisters do? How come we never fight if I hate you? How come I can keep all of your secrets – the big one aside of course – secrets you don't even tell your best friend?"

Clark could see the indecision on her face, so he kept going. "Maybe – maybe a part of me sees you as a representation of what it is to be –" He hesitated, stumbling over the word. "What it is to be an alien. Maybe that's why I was so mean to you, with the ring on."

Rory finally caved, and smiled at her brother. "I'm sorry. I just needed to make sure that you really didn't somehow hate me in the depth of your subconsciousness."

"I could never hate you," Clark said loyally. Jonathan and Martha smiled at each other happily as Clark held out his arms. Rory hugged him and their parents came over, wrapping their arms around them as well.

"I'm so glad you two worked it out," Martha sighed happily.__

So am I, Clark thought. Looking at his family, he couldn't help but think, _We are so lucky, to have been picked up by these two. _

Rory heard, and thought back to him, _Family is the best, huh?___

Yep.**  
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**  
A/N Well wasn't that nice? Anyway, sorry about the lack of updating-ness. I've been busy, and our internet stopped working so there was no reason for me to use the computer except to write, and I kept forgetting cause I suck. Fairly long chapter for you all – thanks for being so patient with me.****  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**

**P.S. The next episode I do will be Skinwalker – just a few excerpts from it, cause it's important.**


	17. Skinwalker

**Skinwalker – Seventeenth Chapter  
A random place, somewhere near the Kawatche Caves  
**Pete and Clark raced down the dirt track, Rory refusing to participate and instead just enjoying herself. The trail split into two and Pete went to the right, Clark to the left. Rory followed her brother down the left fork.

Rory saw her brother shoot over a small dirt hill, hanging in the air for a moment before landing gracefully. Before she reached the hill however, there was a thud and a crashing sound from the other side.

"Clark!" she yelled, simultaneously stopping the bike and jumping off of it, zooming over the hill at superspeed. "Clark!" she yelled again, going over a tree and stopping just in time to prevent herself falling down a large hole. She peered into the hole, but couldn't see anything.

"Clark!" Rory screamed, terrified.

_Rory? _came the question from her mind. She calmed down and thought, _Oh thank GOD, don't ever scare me like that again!_

_Yeah, Rors, I won't. Hey there's like all these caves down here – it's really cool!_

Rory heard a dirt bike roar behind her. "Hey Rory! What happened?" yelled Pete.

Pointing to the hole, she called back, "Clark fell down the hole."

"What?" he said, closer now and confused. Leaning over the hole, he called, "Clark, man! You down there?"

"Yeah, Pete, I'm fine!" Clark called up to them.

"Hey, you gonna need help or can you jump your way out?" Pete yelled.

"I, um, Pete, I have company down here! And I did fall like 150 feet…" he trailed off. Rory heard him say something like, "Funny guy, huh?"

"As long as you're okay, Clark," Rory called.

Rory heard some more murmured conversation and decided to see who Clark's 'company' was. She used her power to read Clark's mind. Looking through his eyes, she saw a beautiful Native American girl, carrying a torch.

_Does she have a name?_ she asked her brother.

_Kyla,_ came his reply.

"Oh, my God," Kyla said, looking over Clark's shoulder. Rory noted that she looked quite similar to Lana – the same skin colour and high cheekbones. Kyla walked past Clark, shining the torch onto the wall.

Clark turned, asking, "What is it?"

"It's the legend of Numan and his sister, Shumam," she said, awe in her voice. "My ancestors have passed down this story for generations."

The wall had several primitive-looking drawings on the wall. One depicted a man and a woman falling from the sky, while another showed a man shooting fire from his eyes and a woman with blue sparks coming from her fingers.

"They said it had been written in the earth long ago," Kyla continued, "but nobody knew where until now." She turned to Clark, eyes shining. "Thank you."

He shrugged, embarrassed. "Sure, no problem."

"You don't understand," she said earnestly. "My grandfather's been searching for this wall his whole life."

She turned back to the wall, shining the torch on the walls again. "It was prophesied that Numan and Shumam would fall from the sky in a rain of fire." She shone the torch on the picture of them falling from the sky. "They say that Numan will have the strength of ten men, and be able to start fires with his eyes, while Shumam will be able to run faster then the fastest animal alive and be able to heal wounds with a touch." Kyla shone the torch on the other drawing of the man and woman.

"It probably sounds silly," she realized, looking down.

Clark shook his head, and said, "Not to me."

_Or me,_ added Rory in his head, still listening.

"I've got to tell my grandfather about this," Kyla said, excitement obvious on her face. "Come on, I'll show you the way out. Try and keep up." She turned and began to walk out.

Clark took one last look at the pictures, excitement on his face too. He began to follow Kyla and Rory was just about to leave when Clark stopped at another wall.

_Clark? What's the – _Then Rory saw the wall.

In the middle was an octagonal groove, just like the one in the spaceship.

* * *

**Storm Cellar, afternoon**

Clark, Jonathan and Rory looked at the spaceship. Clark's eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him – the groove in the ship was identical to the one in the wall of the cave.

"It's an octagon, Clark. I'm sure it's a very common shape," Jonathan tried to assure his children, as well as himself.

"Okay," Clark admitted, realizing the truth in his words, "but what about the story?"

"Exactly. How many people fall to earth in a 'rain of fire' and can shoot fire from their eyes? Or heal with a single touch?" Rory asked him.

Jonathan looked at them. "Guys, I understand how important it is for you to figure out where you came from, but those drawings could have a hundred different interpretations."

Clark pulled a cloth wrapped object from his pocket. Unwrapping it, he said, "Dad, you pulled this from the spaceship just before it closed." He showed him the piece of metal with alien symbols all over it.

Jonathan looked at it warily before saying, "I don't see what that has to –"

Rory interrupted, her face alight with excitement. "Dad, the symbols on the metal are the same as the ones in the cave. Kyla's grandfather has been studying the legend of Numan and Shumam for years. Maybe he can read it."

"I want you two to be careful what you tell these people," Jonathan said sternly.

"Dad, if they can tell us who or what we are, it's worth the risk," said Clark.

"We don't know anything about Kyla, or her grandfather for that manner," Jonathan said, trying to keep hold of the situation.

"I know. That's why I asked Clark to ask them over for dinner," Rory said cheerfully.

They laughed at the expression on their father's face and left, talking excitedly about their origins. Jonathan took one last look at the spaceship and said quietly, "If you take my children away from me, then so help me God..." He trailed off, not knowing exactly what he would do. He told the spaceship so, adding on the end, "but it would be extremely bad."

Then Jonathan turned and walked away.

* * *

**Kent kitchen, night  
**Joseph, Kyla, Clark, Jonathan and Rory all sat at the table while Martha took their plates.

"According to the legend," Joseph began, his voice deep and rich – perfect for storytelling, "a man came from the stars and fell in love with the mother of our people. Out of that forbidden affair, the Kawatche people were born."

"Do you know which star he came from?" asked Clark, trying to disguise his eagerness.

"The legend only tells that he left one day and flew back into the sky, promising that he would send two others," Joseph told them, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Numan and Shumam," breathed Rory.

He nodded impressively, saying, "Of course, that was five hundred years ago. They're a little late."

Kyla looked at Clark, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The question was directed at both Clark and Rory. Before they could respond, Martha interrupted.

"Actually, they're adopted. Biological siblings, we think, but not biologically ours."

"These, uh, these symbols, they seem to make up some sort of alphabet," Clark said, trying to get the conversation back where he wanted it.

"That's the really weird part," interjected Kyla. Clark smiled at her again, noting the way the light sparkled in her eyes.

"Our people don't have a written language," clarified Joseph. "I've seen a symbol here or there on artefacts, but never in a pattern before."

"So you don't know what they mean," Rory said, disappointed.

"Grandpa's studied a lot of ancient languages," Kyla said to her. Addressing the group at large, she said, "I'm sure with some time he can decipher what the symbols are."

"If Luthor doesn't get to them before we do," grumbled Joseph.

Clark turned to look at his mother. "Mom, maybe you can talk to Mr. Luthor."

Joseph looked up in interest. "You know Lionel Luthor?" he asked, speaking directly to Martha.

"Know him?" Rory said, stopping her mother. "Mom is his executive assistant."

Martha looked at her children, hesitant. "I'll do what I can, but it just isn't that easy guys." Rory gave her the puppy-dog eyes look, but Martha still tried to explain herself. "The situation isn't that black and white. That complex will create a thousand desperately needed jobs."

"And you think that's more important than these caves?" Clark asked, somehow managing to combine disappointment with just the right amount of anger.

Martha didn't have an answer to that, and Jonathan took the opportunity to ask, "So, um, does anyone want coffee with their pie?"

* * *

**Same night, just after dinner – Kent barn loft  
**Clark stared up at the sky, remembering wistfully the time when looking through his telescope had merely meant wondering if there might be life on other planets. Now, however, he knew for sure that there was life on at least one other planet out there.

He lifted his head and turned, starting when he saw Kyla, watching him with a small smile on her face.

Gesturing to the telescope and feigning casualness, he asked her, "You want a look?"

She walked towards him, saying, "I kinda like seeing it with my own eyes."

She walked past him to the window and he smiled.

Turning and walking up behind her, he said, "So these legends, you don't think they're like Venus and Apollo and all those other myths?"

"Just cause something's a myth, doesn't make it not true," she said, still not facing him. "Here." She took his hand in hers and pointed his finger at the sky. "Do you see that bright one right there?"

Clark nodded even though she couldn't see.

"If you follow the stars around it," she continued, "it makes the shape of a wolf's head." She put his hand down onto the window sill and rested hers on top. "See how one of the eyes is missing? Our ancestors say that there used to be a star there. That's where Numan and Shumam came from."

Clark stiffened a little. Trying to act casual, he said, "What happened to it?"

Kyla turned to face him and said mysteriously, "You tell me."

Clark just looked at her, confused and she continued quietly, "You and your sister are the ones that fell from the stars."

Clark stared at her, completely shocked. Denials spun through his head, but his main thought was, _How does she know that?  
_

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, the next day  
**Kyla climbed up one of the cave walls as Clark shone the torch onto it, making sure she could see. She stopped and looked closer at one of the drawings.

"The pictographs are a lot more detailed up here," she called down to him. 

"What do they say?" he asked.

"It promises that one day Numan and Shumam will protect the entire world," she said, a little awed. Suddenly the ground shook a little and Clark glanced around in alarm.

"Luthor's bulldozers," Kyla said, angry. "It's been happening all week."

"I don't know if it's safe for us to be here right now," Clark said, cautious and yet at the same time wanting to know more about his heritage.

Kyla wasn't paying attention. "Oh Clark, get up here. You have to see this."

Clark put the torch on the ground, making sure the light still shone at the wall and climbed up to where she was.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's Ziget," she said. Clark gave her a confused look and she elaborated, "He's like a brother to Numan, and he would do anything for both him and Shumam."

Clark looked at the picture she was pointing to, and it depicted a creature with two heads.

"Legend has it," she continued, "that one day he'll turn against Numan and Shumam, and together they'll be the balance between good and evil." She smiled. "Of course, it's not really a balance if it's two against one, but the legends say that Shumam cares about Ziget very much before he turns on them, and even after it's been proved again, and again, that he is evil, she still believes there's some good in him."

_Who's Ziget, I wonder? _Clark thought as he stared at the painting. _If I'm Numan, and Rory is Shumam… _Pete sprung into his head for a moment but Clark quickly dismissed the thought.

_Whoever he is, we'll work it out, _he thought. _We always do.  
_

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, the day after that other one****(God, there's so many of them.)  
**Clark, Rory and Lex walked through the caves, torches in hand. Clark had told Rory everything he'd found out about Numan, Shumam and Ziget. Now they were just here to show her so she could learn, and Lex so he could save them from his father.

"Not that I don't find the dank stench of a cave invigorating," Lex said dryly, "but why'd you bring me down here?"

"This is the first time I've been down here too, Lex," Rory reminded him gently.

"I wanted you – both of you – to see them for yourselves," Clark answered. "This is what Joseph, 

Kyla and I are trying to protect."

"Incredible," breathed Lex, shining his torch on the drawing of Numan and Shumam falling from the sky. "These may be more impressive than the caves at La Scalle."

"Joseph and Kyla are trying to get a team down to authenticate them," Clark added, trying not to seem too eager.

Lex turned to watch the siblings move around the cave, wearing a sceptical look on his face. Rory looked up at him and they gazed at each other for a moment before Lex asked, still not looking away, "So you're doing all of this for some cave paintings?"

"I'm doing this because I think it's important to understand the past," Clark replied, looking over at Lex. Rory immediately looked away from him, feeling slightly guilty for some reason. Clark's eyes flicked between Lex and Rory before settling back on Lex. "Don't you?"

_Why do I feel like I missed something? _Clark wondered, making sure Rory could hear him. _Oh, that's right – I did!_

_Oh, shut up,_she replied crabbily.

"Looks like a fascinating story," Lex said, interrupting them much to Rory's delight.

"Makes you wonder if the people who drew these paintings thought that we'd be here a hundred years later looking on," Rory replied, fighting the urge to look at him again.

Lex glanced over his shoulder at her, then back to the wall. He noticed the octagonal groove that Clark had seen on his first day there and touched it. Clark was busy on the other side of the caves and Rory was refusing to look at him. "Somehow, I think they did," he said, smiling.

He turned away from the wall just as Clark turned to look at him. Eyes shining, he said, "Lex, these caves are a part of our history. Saving these paintings might be the most important thing you'll ever do."

Rory looked at her brother, then at Lex. "What do you think, Lex?" she questioned quietly in her melodic voice.

Lex looked at Clark, then at Rory. Not breaking eye contact, he replied, "Maybe more important then anything we can imagine."

* * *

**A/N I apologize (again) for taking so long. I got a whole heap of assignments and exams are coming up this week too, so I'm gonna be busy for a while. It's the Easter long weekend which is the only reason I was actually able to get this done, and I probably should have studied instead but hey.**

**Also, Shumam is Rory. Obviously if she wasn't written into the Kawatche legends everyone would be suspicious. I've also picked out a Kryptonian name for her which you'll find out in the next chapter, Rosetta. AND I may not have mentioned this earlier, but Smallville returned in Australia to 10 HD (which we have) and the sixth season just finished, so yeah.  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**

**P.S. I'll try and update a hell of a lot faster than these last few times. Once again, sorry!**


	18. Rosetta Part 1

**Rosetta – Eighteenth Chapter  
****Shhhh... I'm flying...**

Picture this. You're flying through white clouds. You get past them, and you see rows of corn spread out over the ground. You speed towards a group of rocks with a small hole in them. You shoot through the hole, take a couple of turns in a rocky maze, ending up in the Kawatche Caves, in front of the paintings with the octagon groove in the middle. Now onto the parts I can really explain.

Clark and Rory floated over the ground, both staring at the octagonal groove. In unison, they floated forward, touching the symbols around it, neither of them speaking. One symbol in particular seemed to call out to them, a circle with a line through it and a diamond to each side.

Clark held out the key for her to see. Checking the symbols around the edge, she noted that one of them was identical to the one on the wall.

Still moving in unison, they came into an upright position and stood on the ground. Linking their hands together, Clark pushed the key into the groove in the wall. He slowly took his hand away and waited.

Nothing happened.

They exchanged a look full of meaning, and without using their connection, they held their linked hands up towards the key, each with one finger extended. They touched the key, and a blast of energy came out, causing everything to go white.

And that's when they woke up.

Rory woke up, something digging into her back. She groaned, rolling over and realizing that she wasn't in bed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clark sitting up too, then heard a screeching sound coming from behind him. Turning to the source of the offending noise, she saw that a car had stopped inches from Clark's face.

Clark looked at her, confused, and they both stood. Turning back to the car, their eyes widened in surprise as they saw Lex get out of the car.

His face bore surprise too, as he said incredulously, "Clark? Rory?"

* * *

**Kent Farm, morning ****(that last bit was night)  
**Clark and Rory entered the house as quietly as possible, still in their pyjamas and barefoot. Rory supersped up the stairs, leaving her brother behind to notice that their parents were waiting for them.

"Where have you two been?" Jonathan asked, making sure to speak loudly enough that Rory could 

hear.

She came back down the stairs, fully dressed and kissed him on the cheek. "Morning Dad," she said brightly, turning to her mother and kissing her too. "Morning Mom."

"We were looking all over for you two," Martha said. "And you are not off the hook, Rory."

"We were out," Clark said shortly. He started up the stairs.

"Hey, hey!" Jonathan stopped him. Looking at both of them, he asked, "What is going on with you two? You've both been acting strange all week. It's like your mind's somewhere else. What's up?"

Clark sat down on the stairs and motioned for Rory to come sit next to him. She did so and Clark said, "When we woke up this morning, we were in the middle of Route 8."

"Actually it was night, but hey," Rory added.

"How did you get there?" Martha asked, taking it in her stride.

"We don't know," Rory answered. "Lex almost hit Clark with his car. He gave us a ride home."

"Lex," Jonathan said, angry and suspicious.

"I told him we were sleepwalking," Clark said. "He wanted to know how it was that we'd both ended up in the same place, and we tried to pass it off as one of those, you know, super-attuned to one another twin things."

"Lucky he doesn't know just how attuned we really are," Rory said quietly, leaning on Clark's arm.

"And besides," Clark continued, looking at his sister than back at his parents. "I'm not sure how much walking was involved."

Jonathan and Martha looked at him in confusion.

"We've been having this dream all week, both of us, exactly the same dream. It's like when we were kids and we used to sleep in the same room, and have dreams together. Part of the twins-from-another-planet gig," Rory told them.

"What dream?" Jonathan asked, a little impatient.

"Flying over Smallville," Clark answered. "We always end up at the cave, like it's calling out to us."

"Like it's trying to give us answers," Rory added.

"Answers to what?" Martha asked.

"We don't know," Rory said. "In the dream, Clark has the key, and he puts it into the slot in the cave wall."

"Then we link hands and touch it together, and there's this white light," Clark continued.

"And?" Martha inquired.

"We don't know," said Clark.

"That's when we wake up," Rory added.

Jonathan shifted uneasily before saying, "You know, dreaming about putting that key in a rock wall is one thing, but we have absolutely no idea what would happen if you two actually did that."

"Dad, the dreams are getting more intense every night," Rory tried to explain.

"Who knows where we'll wake up tomorrow?" Clark muttered.

"It's too dangerous," Jonathan told them sternly.

"Dad, that cave could have all the answers that we're looking for," Rory said. "Why are you so afraid to let us find out?"

Jonathan didn't answer, and Clark stood, saying quietly, "I gotta get dressed for school."

"And I gotta have breakfast," Rory added. Clark went up the stairs while Rory went into the kitchen.

Jonathan and Martha looked at each other, troubled.

* * *

**School, later that day  
**"What a lame assignment," Chloe said contemptuously as she, Clark, Pete, Lana and Rory walked down the corridor towards the Torch. "Family trees are so 20th century."

"Just look at it as a mystery, Chloe," Pete said, grinning. "You never know what you're gonna uncover."

"Why are you so excited about this?" Clark asked Pete teasingly.

"Because it's gonna be a piece of cake," Pete said confidently.

Rory laughed. "Yeah, cause your family's been in Smallville since the Jurassic era."

"Well, what are you guys so worked up about?" Pete defended himself.

As they entered the Torch, Chloe complained, "There's just so many variables to take into account, like what if your mother abandoned you? Is that branch of your family tree technically cut off?"

"Yeah," Lana agreed, adding, "and what if your biological father comes back into the picture? Which family do you claim?"

"What if you're adopted?" Clark and Rory said in unison.

They all laughed, and Pete said as he backed towards the door, "Okay, I get the point. But is it my fault I'm part of a nuclear family? Is it?" Rory shook her head, smiling, and Pete grinned. "Later."

"Unfortunately for the rest of us, the nuclear family was nuked years ago," Chloe said in a martyred tone.

"We should probably get together at the Talon tomorrow and figure out a game plan," Lana thought aloud.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched, screeching sound. Rory gasped and covered her ears, trying to block it out. Dimly she was aware that Clark was doing the same thing.

"Whoa. The Wonder Twins don't like that idea," she heard Chloe say hazily.

Faintly she heard someone laugh, then the noise stopped and everything was normal again.

"Did you guys hear that?" Clark asked, looking pale and shocked.

Rory nodded but Lana just said, "Hear what?"

The noise began again and Clark and Rory covered the ears once more. It stopped again.

"That!" Rory exclaimed.

"Well that's one member of your family tree we can cross off the list – you two are definitely part canine. We can't hear anything," Chloe said, laughter in her voice still.

The noise started up and Clark groaned while Rory squeezed her eyes shut.

"Guys, are you okay?" Lana asked, concern registering on her face and in her voice.

"We gotta –"

"Go," finished Rory, her voice just as strained as her brother's. They ran out.

* * *

**Kent barn loft, not long after  
**Clark and Rory ran into the loft just as the noise began again. Trying to track it back to its source, 

they followed it to the side of the loft where a cupboard was.

Clark opened the cupboard and Rory grabbed a tackle box out, putting it on top of the cupboard. Clark broke the lock off and opened it. A golden light shone from the box.

Rory leaned over it, moving a few things out of the way until she found the octagonal key at the bottom, giving off the golden light. She grabbed it, smiling, and the noise stopped along with the glow.

She showed it to Clark and he grinned back at her.

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, again not long after  
**The siblings stood before the cave wall, exactly as they had in their dream – only without the floating.

Clark looked at Rory and she looked back at him, nodding. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

With his other hand, he held up the key, turning it this way and that, trying to match the symbols to the wall.

"Here," Rory spoke for the first time since leaving the Torch. "Let me."

He handed her the key and she rotated it until the symbols on the key were in line with their counterparts on the wall. It flew out of her hand and into the wall.

Clark looked around to make sure no-one was watching, and when he returned his attention to the wall, the symbols had begun to glow.

He was vaguely aware of Rory staring, transfixed, at the key, but he was too involved himself to look away. The symbols on the top were glowing red, the symbols in the bottom left corner were green and the ones in the bottom right corner were blue.

The symbols on the wall began to move around, each circle of symbols in alternating directions. The disk suddenly opened up through the middle. Clark and Rory both leaned forwards to look into it.

Two streams of energy shot out of the gap, one striking Clark in the chest and the other Rory. The streams continued as they rose into the air, trembling with eyes and mouths wide open and their arms spread to either side, still holding onto each other tightly.

The energy grew brighter and brighter until nothing could be seen. Then, for the teenagers, everything went black.

* * *

**A little while later, still in the caves  
**Lex entered the caves, looking around. No matter how many times he came here, he couldn't get over how majestic they were.

He glanced over at the wall which held his interest, the one with the octagonal space in it, and was surprised to see Clark and Rory lying next to it, apparently unconscious.

"Rory? Clark" he called out to them. They didn't stir and he walked quickly over to them, bending and shaking Rory's shoulder.

"Rory?" he asked again. She moved a little and murmured something unintelligible and he turned to Clark, shaking him also.

"Clark?" Lex said as he began to shift. Turning back to Rory, he saw that her eyes were now open. He smiled at her and asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

She sat up, bewildered, and took a look around. "I'm fine," she assured him, smiling back.

Clark sat up behind Lex and looked over his shoulder at Rory.

"What happened?" she asked, eyes on Clark but facing Lex.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Lex replied. Running his hand over her shoulder gently, he asked, "What were you two doing down here?"

Rory looked up at the wall and noticed that the disk was gone. Lex stood and offered her a hand up, pulling her to her feet. He then turned to Clark and said, "Clark?"

Clark looked at him, still disoriented and said, "We were just finishing some work up for Dr. Walden."

"Yeah, we figured we'd do it when it was quiet," Rory added, looking straight into Lex's eyes when he looked at her.

Clark coughed a little and Lex jerked his head back towards him. Rory scowled at him and, ignoring her, Clark continued, "Next thing we know, you're shaking us awake."

"The guard said there was an explosion," Lex said, concealing his suspicion. "You didn't touch any equipment, did you?

"I find it interesting that you two managed to get around the guard in the first place," someone said from behind them. They turned to see Dr. Walden, Lex's language specialist, standing there with his permanent scowl firmly in place.

"What's your secret, Kent?" he asked them angrily.

"Uh..." Rory said, a little unsure what to say. "Lex said weeks ago that the guards were to let us in whenever we wanted, so..."

Walden glared at Lex, who said, "Back off, Doctor. Can't you see they've been hurt?"

"I'm okay, I just need some air," said Clark straight away. Rory checked that she wasn't hurt either and nodded.

They started to leave and Lex followed them. "Rory, Clark," he called to get their attention. They turned to face him and he continued, "First I find you two lying in the middle of the road, and now here. I really think you should go to the hospital." He looked at Rory as he said, "Both of you."

She looked up at him and smiled brilliantly. "We're fine, Lex."

"Yeah, we just gotta get home before our parents start to worry," Clark said.

Lex gave in reluctantly, saying, "Okay. But until we figure out what happened, I don't want either of you down here by yourself."

Rory grinned and said, "Okay."

"Rory."

"What?"

"By yourself also includes both of you coming down here together."

"Oh." Her face fell, and she said grudgingly, "Okay."

"Sorry we couldn't be more help," Clark said, grabbing Rory's hand and leaving.

Just before they left the cave, Rory turned and smiled at Lex. He smiled back at her, thinking, _It's really not fair of her to be so... her._

"Why'd you just let them walk out of here?" Walden asked irritably, breaking into his thoughts. "They know more than they're telling."

"Probably," Lex replied smoothly, reverting back to business Lex. "But you've got enough on your plate, Doctor." He smiled and continued, "Let me worry about Clark and Aurora Kent."

* * *

**Kent Farm, early next morning  
**Clark loaded hay bales into the back of one of the trucks, just outside the barn. Rory watched, asking suddenly, "You sure you don't want help?"

"Don't you have your own chores to do?" he replied teasingly.

"I'm a lot faster than you brother dearest, therefore I can do my chores faster too," she retorted 

cheekily.

He laughed as their father came outside, blinking in the light. "Wow, you two are up early," he said, surprised.

"Don't worry Dad, we both woke up in our own beds this morning," Rory said, a small smile lingering on her face.

"No dreams?" Jonathan questioned, relieved.

"Nope," Clark said as he tossed two more bales into the back of the truck. "I think whatever it is has passed."

"That's good," Jonathan said, grabbing a bale of hay and throwing it into the back. Rory gave Clark her shocked, injured look and he shrugged, grinning.

"I'm taking your mother into town for a checkup," Jonathan continued, ignoring their silent twin banter. "You want a ride to school?"

"Nah, Chloe's gonna pick us up," Rory told him.

"How's Mom feeling?" Clark asked.

Jonathan shook his head happily. "Pregnant. I still can't believe it."

"How soon can we start telling everyone?" Rory asked him excitedly.

"As soon as your mother says she's ready," Jonathan told her, eyes shining. "Don't worry, guys. This is one secret we can all be very happy to share."

"Yeah," Clark said.

"Dad, uh, this might sound a little weird, but are we gonna tell the baby?" Rory asked.

"Tell it about you two?"

She nodded, and Jonathan continued, "Maybe when it's old enough to understand that it can't tell anyone, we will."

"The baby's lucky," Clark said, a little sadly.

"Look," Jonathan said after a pause, "Having this child is going to be a big adjustment. For all of us. But it doesn't change the way we feel about you two."

"I know, Dad," Clark said.

"What he said," Rory added.

"I'm just glad things are back to normal," Jonathan told them, smiling happily.

Martha came out of the house and yelled, "Jonathan, we're late! We gotta go now!"

She came down the stairs and Jonathan went to join her. Suddenly, the high-pitched noise started again just as Clark grabbed a bale of hay. He dropped it and grabbed the sides of his head as Rory did the same.

Clark's eyes lit up the way they did when he used his heat vision and involuntarily began blasting the barn. The heat forced him to move his head around and the barn wall quickly started burning.

At the same time, several windows in the barn shattered, sending glass all over the ground. A few pieces hit Clark and Rory, giving the latter several cuts. Rory's head flicked moved around of its own accord, staring at the glass. It then began to move.

"Jonathan!" yelled Martha, who had watched the events unfold with horror on her face.

Jonathan turned to see the barn on fire as Clark managed to finally control his heat vision. Rory fell to the ground, groaning. The glass stopped moving.

Clark bent over her. "You alright?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Uh, Clark? Barn on fire. I'll live till it's out," she said croakily. He didn't move and she said crankily, "Go, go, go!"

He supersped over to the hose and Jonathan yelled from the tap, "I got it! I got it! Go on!"

Clark ran back to the barn and sprayed the fire with the hose. Jonathan ran over to Rory and pulled her to her feet. "You alright?" he asked her, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, her voice back to normal. "Clark, what the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," he answered, still trying to put out the fire.

"Rory," Martha called anxiously. She held out her arms and Rory walked over to her, limping a little.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just my foot, it hurts a little. I'm fine Mom, really," Rory assured her.

Martha hugged her and Rory leaned her head on her shoulder as they watched the boys trying to put the fire out. A car pulled up and Chloe got out of it, shock and worry on her face. She ran over to 

Martha and Rory.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, bewildered.

"We came out, and it was on fire," Martha lied, hoping Chloe would accept it.

"Well, that explains that, but what about the glass? What happened there?" Chloe questioned suspiciously.

"Uh…" Rory didn't know what to say. "It kinda just – exploded. I don't know how."

They turned to look at the barn again, and were shocked at what they saw. The fire was out, and both Kent men were staring at the mark left behind, stunned. Chloe pulled out a camera and began taking photos.

"Guys…" Rory said, attention moving away from the barn. "Look at this."

She pointed to the ground where all the glass was. They turned to look at it also, and Martha gasped. Burned into the barn wall and written in glass on the ground was the symbol of the circle with the line through it.

The same symbol on the wall of the cave and the octagonal disk.

* * *

**A/N Sorry (again) about the delay in chapters, but I'm on holidays now so I should be able to get a few more chapters up. However I am going away on Thursday but I will definitely finish at least one more chapter before the end of the holidays. The next chapter will still be Rosetta, and maybe the one after that as well.**

_**IMPORTANT STUFF IN THE TWO BELOW PARAGRAPHS. READ.**_**  
I have a few more things to say too, IMPORTANT things, so please read. Firstly, I think I may have said that I will explain why Clark and Rory have different powers in Rosetta. I have postponed it to either A) when the Fortress comes in, or B) when Kara arrives because there is really no way I can do it in Rosetta.**

**Secondly, I'm thinking of doing 'outtakes' of this story, eg. episodes that I have missed that you want me to write. I've put a poll up, so if you want the story vote, then PM me which episode you want. If you want to know why it's got 'Shh… I'm flying…' at the top, watch the commentary for this episode on the Second Season DVD. It's hilarious.**

**Thank you, and good bye!  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	19. Rosetta Part 2

**Rosetta – Nineteenth Chapter  
**Jonathan finished nailing wooden boards over the symbol burned into the barn just as Clark and Rory finished sweeping up the glass. Chloe was gone along with her pictures.

"Well, that ought to keep the looky-loos away, at least till I have a chance to patch it up better," Jonathan said.

Clark leaned on his broom and said, "A couple of boards aren't gonna be able to cover up anything anymore."

"Especially after Chloe publishes her pictures," Rory added, mimicking her brother by leaning on her own broom.

"Well, I think I managed to convince her it was just a prank," Martha said.

Clark said, "Yeah, well at least whatever it was that Rory did is easy to get rid of. That-" he gestured to the barn wall, "not so easy to cover up."

"You can't beat yourself up about this, Clark," Rory said.

"Exactly. Your abilities are still developing," Martha continued. "You can't always control them."

"There is nothing uncontrolled about that drawing," Clark said, standing up straight.

"What?" Jonathan asked, confused.

"He's right. It's a symbol from wherever we came from," Rory explained.

"It means hope," Clark told them. Rory nodded.

"How do you know that? Martha asked. "Since when have you been able to read the symbols?"

Rory twisted her hands together, looking guilty. "Since we put the key in the cave wall," she muttered innocently.

Jonathan, who caught every word, said angrily, "Wait a minute. Since you did what?"

"Dad, it was calling out to us," Clark tried to explain. "It led us to where you hid it."

Jonathan looked from Clark to Rory and back again. "I told you not to do that," he said sternly.

"We know, Dad, but it was like we didn't have a choice," Rory told him, trying to calm him down.

"Where is the key now?" Martha asked, having digested all of this information.

Rory glanced at Clark and he at her. "We don't know," he replied. "When we put the key in the wall, there was this blinding light."

"We both blacked out at that point," Rory finished.

"Are you all right?" Martha asked, maternal instinct prompting her.

"Yeah, it didn't hurt us," Rory said.

"But everything's all jumbled up," Clark continued. Struggling a little with his explanation, he said, "It's like it... downloaded us with the language from the cave wall."

"Did anybody see you?" Jonathan asked, concern overriding his objections briefly.

"I don't think so," said Rory thoughtfully, "but Lex and Dr. Walden found us. I don't think they have the key."

"I think it disintegrated or something," Clark added.

"You're not one hundred percent sure?" Jonathan asked them, disapproving. "Clark, Rory, we understand you wanting to know more about your origins, but you're putting your own lives in danger here."

"Some things are worth that risk," Rory argued, her eyes shining.

"Like what?"

Clark and Rory looked at each other, smiling. "Like the truth," Clark replied, his eyes not leaving his sister's.

* * *

**The Torch, later that day (I think)**  
"I'd like to thank you for turning our farm into Area 51," Clark announced their presence to Chloe as he and Rory entered the Torch.

"Seriously," Rory continued his line of thought. "We needed a couple of sheriff deputies to keep all the wackos away."

Chloe smiled, and said apologetically, "Sorry, guys." Changing into reporter mode, she continued, "You have to admit, it is really intriguing."

"It's probably just a K.U. frat prank," Rory said casually.

"Or it could be that aliens think crop circles are passé so they've moved on to barn scorching?" Chloe argued back. "Come on, you guys, this is Smallville. I mean, you have to consider the possibility."

She walked back around to her computer and frowned. "That's weird..." she muttered.

"What's weird?" Rory asked her, moving around to look at the computer. There was a long list of unopened emails in Chloe's inbox.

"Someone spammed your email account," Clark said, looking over Rory's shoulder.

"Yeah, but they're all for you guys," Chloe said, puzzled. She pointed to the subject line which read 'For the Kents'.

"From someone called Swann..." Rory said, mystified. "Never heard of him."

"Me either," said Clark.

Chloe opened one of the messages and the screen showed a picture of the symbol burnt into the barn. Above the symbol was a New York address. Below it, the word 'Hope' appeared. Underneath that, it read, 'I have something for you.'

* * *

**The Kent barn loft, afternoon (same day I think)  
**Pete entered the barn loft where Clark and Rory were waiting.

"Did our parents see you?" Clark asked him urgently.

"No," said Pete, shaking his head at the same time. He took a laptop computer from underneath his jacket and set it on a bale of hay. Clark hooked it up to a phone cord.

"What's with all this cloak-and-dagger stuff?" Pete asked them, a little confused. "Why couldn't we just go to the Torch and use Chloe's computer?"

"Because we can't have her looking over our shoulders if this Swann guy has information for us," Rory explained.

"Okay, you're on," said Pete a few seconds later.

Clark took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and opened it to reveal Swann's email address. He typed the address in and hesitated before asking Rory quietly, "What should we say?"

"How about, 'We got your message. What do you have for us?'" Rory suggested. Clark typed it in and paused, his finger hovering on the button that would send the message.

"What's wrong?" Pete asked.

"What if our parents are right?" Clark asked, more to himself than Pete or Rory.

"Then we can just pull the plug on this whole thing," Pete told him. He reached for the keyboard and 

Clark stopped him.

"We need to know." Rory said what Clark was thinking, and he nodded.

Clark sent the email and a few seconds later, a box popped up on the screen. It said, 'The user "vswann" has sent you an instant message. Do you wish to accept it?'

"Open it," Rory urged him. Clark did so.

The new message said,

If you can read this I have the answers you're looking for.

Three symbols were beneath the message.

"What does it say?" Pete asked breathlessly.

"It says, I'm a friend," Rory told him, excitement in her voice.

* * *

**The Torch, the next day ****(finally!)  
**"Dr. Virgil Swann," Chloe told Clark and Rory as they looked at an issue of Time magazine. On the front was a black-and-white picture of a man with the caption 'Man of the Year'.

"You guys are being stalked by a legend," Chloe said, grinning.

"I've never heard of him," said Rory simply.

Chloe sighed, exasperated. "He was a high-tech Howard Hughes 30 years ago. He graduated from M.I.T. when he was 19. He had his doctorate in math and applied physics."

"Whoa," Rory said, surprised.

"Oh, there's more. He then started his own company, Swann Communications, which quickly rose to international acclaim in the 1970s as the world's largest producer of satellites. I mean, this guy has so much hardware in space that "Scientific American" dubbed him the Man of Tomorrow," Chloe told them.

"Only through communication will people live in peace," Clark read from the article. "Sounds like a remarkable guy."

"He was until he pulled a J.D. Salinger. He sold his company and put his millions toward charitable foundations," Chloe explained. "Rumour has it he devoted himself to searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe."

"And what about the address in the email? How does that fit in?" Rory asked curiously.

"It's the New York Planetarium. What better place to look for little green men?" Chloe asked rhetorically. "Why is this guy so interested in two farm kids from Smallville, Kansas?"

"I don't think he's interested in us – just in our barn," Rory said, trying to brush her concerns off.

"Virgil Swann hasn't made a phone call in thirteen years, and all of a sudden he wants to be your best buddy?" Chloe asked sceptically. "He must think that symbol is pretty important."

"It was just a hoax," Clark tried to convince her.

"Yeah, well," Chloe said in a tone that said she disagreed. "One of the most brilliant men in the world disagrees. If I were you?" She paused, looking both of them in the eye. "I'd find out why."

* * *

**Kent kitchen, later that day  
**"This whole thing is very suspicious, you two," Jonathan said as the Kent family sat around their dining table.

"Dad, he could give us some answers," Rory said convincingly.

"He knows how to read the language," Clark offered.

"According to you, he does," Jonathan said distrustfully. "How do we even know that you're reading it right? We have no idea what that cave did to you two."

"Mom, help us out here," Rory appealed to her mother.

"Rory, we don't know anything about this Dr. Swann," Martha said, an apology in her voice as she sided with Jonathan.

"For all we know, the whole thing could be an elaborate plot just to get to you!" Jonathan suggested.

"Now you're just being paranoid," Clark said, standing up.

"Did you ever think for a second that maybe he just wanted to help?" Rory asked angrily.

Jonathan stood up too. "No, Rory, I haven't. When it comes to protecting both you two, and your secret, all I've ever seen are people who want to exploit you for your own personal gain."

"You can't protect us forever!" Rory yelled at him, standing up.

"I'm not willing to give that up just yet!" Jonathan shouted back.

There was a pause as they glared at one another.

"Rory, Clark," Martha began, "we're not trying to keep you from learning about your past. We just don't want to see you get hurt, either."

"It's just –" Rory began. Shaking her head, she said, "Clark, you say it. I need to calm down." She walked a little way away, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

Clark glanced at her, then looked back at their parents. "What Rory is trying to say is that we have all these questions, and we can't just leave them in the storm cellar anymore," he said, voice growing stronger as he got going in his – well, their – speech. "Why did our parents put us in that ship? What was so bad, that they had to send us away?" Martha and Jonathan looked worried, and he finished gravely, "We have to do this."

Martha and Jonathan looked at each other, tears in their eyes, and Jonathan said, "Then let's go together. We'll go as a family."

Rory had returned, and she said, "Dad, I don't want to shut you or Mom out, but –" she stopped.

"We have to go alone," Clark finished softly. "It's the only way."

Martha stood and took Clark's hand. He smiled at her.

"No matter what we find out," Rory said tearfully, "it is not going to change the way that we feel about you." She looked at Clark, and he looked back at her. "You'll always be our mom and dad."

Martha hugged Clark, reaching out for Rory who hugged her too. Jonathan came over and hugged them all.

* * *

**New York City, a little while after  
**Clark and Rory entered the room, having supersped past security to get in. They found themselves surrounded by globes, statues, and many other scientific objects.

"Hello?" Rory called, her voice echoing slightly in the empty room. "Hello? Dr. Swann?"

"Rory, maybe this wasn't the greatest idea," Clark muttered.

"Clark, you can't seriously be having second thoughts now," she said, turning to face him.

"Well, what if Dad was right? What if this guy just wants to reveal our secret?" Clark asked, almost fearfully.

"Weren't you the one that said he was just being paranoid?" Rory retorted.

"Yeah, well, now I'm not so sure," Clark said. "I mean, this place – it's all so... I don't know. Reminds me of a lab, or something..." he trailed off.

"Don't you remember that nightmare we used to have as kids?" he asked her. "Just after we'd found out about our powers, and Mom and Dad told us that if people found out about them they'd take us away, and experiment on us?"

Rory shuddered. "Don't talk about that, Clark. It terrified me. All the lights, and the cold metal table..."

"Exactly," Clark said. "Dr. Swann's a scientist, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he studied physics. Not biology. Why would he want to experiment on us?" Rory asked him smugly.

"Maybe he'll hand us over to a biologist, and then –"

"Clark, for god's sake!" Rory yelled at him. He motioned for her to lower her voice, and she did, continuing, "Now _that _is paranoia. I think all Dr. Swann wants to know is if his suspicions are right. All he wants to know is if there's intelligent life out there. Clark, you and me are that proof! That's why he wants to talk to us."

"That may be so," Clark acknowledged. "But what are _we_ doing here?"

"Looking for answers, I assume," said someone down the other end of the room. Rory and Clark jumped, startled, and turned to the voice.

There were several bookshelves in the way, however. The twins walked down the room, neither of them saying a word. They finally reached the end, and saw the man – Dr. Swann – seated at a desk. He was in a wheelchair with a tube running out of his neck.

He smiled at them both, and said, "Hello Clark, Aurora. I've been expecting you."

* * *

**A/N I finished it there mostly because it was a good place to finish. If anyone thinks it's too short, it's seven pages long in Microsoft Word 2007 and 2 356 words long, so there. :o) I should have an update pretty soon, but I don't really know seeing as I go back to school next Tuesday (I think).  
Thanks for reading, and all constructive criticism and/or questions are welcome.  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	20. Rosetta Part 3

**Rosetta – Twentieth Chapter**  
**Picks up exactly where the last one left off.  
**"Call me Rory," Rory told Dr. Swann.

He nodded and said, "You two are probably wondering why a billionaire scientist works in the backroom of the planetarium."

Clark shrugged and said nonchalantly, "The thought did cross my –"

"Well, our," Rory interrupted.

"- minds," Clark continued as though there had been no interruption.

"Well, I find it peaceful," said Swann, also acting as though this was perfectly normal. "Besides, I own the building." Speaking towards a microphone on his desk now, he said clearly, "Activate screen."

A screen in front of the wall next to Swann's desk lit up. On it appeared rows of the alien symbols, each row travelling in different directions.

Rory and Clark both stared at it, entranced, trying to read the symbols.

"Does any of that look familiar?" Swann asked, eyes gleaming now that he well and truly had their attention.

"What is it?" Rory asked him, not looking away from the screen.

"It's a message from the stars, Aurora," he said, ignoring her earlier request. "All my life, I've been staring out into space, wondering. Wondering is anybody else out there?" He paused, watching them both closely. "And then, 13 years ago, I got my answer."

"The meteor shower," Clark said, tearing his eyes away from the message and looking at Dr. Swann.

"One of my receiving stations picked up a faint signal," Dr. Swann continued. "It took me years to decrypt it. And finally, I discovered a mathematical key that was built into the transmission."

"Can you read it?" Rory asked, desperate to know what the message said.

"Yes," Swann said simply. "It says, 'This is Kal-El and Kara of Krypton. Our infant children, our last hopes. Please protect them and deliver them from evil'."

"Kal-El," Clark said, touching the screen.

"Kara," Rory whispered, mirroring her brother.

"I've always wondered what happened to those children," Swann said, convinced he had discovered the truth. "If they survived that journey – if they lived among us, now. And then, three days ago, I saw the symbol for Hope burned onto the side of a barn in Smallville, and I found that the farmer and his wife had two adopted children – a son and a daughter."

"So you think that I'm Kara, and he's-" Rory jerked her thumb at Clark, "he's Kal-El?" Listening to her brother's silent warnings, she smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but we're just two simple farm kids from Smallville."

"No, no, no, no, no," Swann said, also smiling. "I'm not trying to expose either of you. I'm just... I'm just seeking the truth. Like you suggested," he addressed Rory," earlier, before I announced my presence."

"We're very sorry, Doctor. The truth is," Clark shrugged, "we're not who you think we are. Come on, Rors."

They turned to leave, but Swann stopped them.

"If you can live with that decision," he said, "so can I." They turned back to face him, and he continued ominously, "But if you walk out that door, it will never be open to you again." Clark turned once more and began to leave.

Rory however, had already investigated his mind and discovered what Swann hadn't told them – yet. The revelation stopped her from going anywhere, and she said quietly, "Clark."

Swann smiled, knowing that he had her, and if he had one, he had the other. "And you'll never know the second part of the message."

Clark, who had stopped when he heard his name, turned to face Swann. They watched each other for a few moments, before Clark said emotionlessly, "We want to know."

* * *

"Tell me something, Doctor," Clark said, still suspicious, to Swann. "Why are you doing this to us?"

"We all have our windmills, Clark," Swann answered. "I need to know I'm right." Clark still looked apprehensive, and Swann promised, "Once I do, it'll never leave this room."

Clark looked at him for a long moment.

_I think we can trust him, _Rory said mind-to-mind.

_Yes, well, maybe we can, maybe we can't. I don't trust him._

_You trust me, don't you?_

Clark said to Dr. Swann firmly, "Show us."

Swann didn't hesitate. "Second screen."

The first message disappeared, and another, different one appeared. Its rows also moved in alternating directions.

Rory read it aloud, "We will be with you, Kal-El, Kara, for all the days of your life." She turned to Swann. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, but one thing I've learned about science is the value of patience," he said wisely.

"Yes, but this _isn't _science," Rory said. "This is our family, our origins, our –" she struggled for another word to describe it.

Clark noticed a picture of outer space with an area circled on it. Disturbing the argument, he asked, "Is that where Krypton is?"

"No, that's where Krypton was," Swann said matter-of-factly. "I followed the signal's path light years out into space. I was hoping to discover its origin but instead, I found nothing.

"Planets don't just disappear," Rory argued, upset but trying not to show it.

"What do you think happened to it?" Clark asked reasonably.

"Oh, it could be any one of a million scenarios. War, famine, plague..." He trailed off, emphasising his point. "I mean, look at the world around us. Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Well, we can't be the only ones," Rory said confidently. "There has to be others like us somewhere."

"There was only one message," Swann pointed out.

"Why us?" Clark asked – he seemed to be the rational one in this particular discussion. "There must be a reason why we were sent to this planet."

"You won't find the answers by looking to the stars," Dr. Swann said in a mystical tone. "It's a journey you will have to take by looking inside yourselves. You must write your own destinies... Kal-El." He nodded to Clark, then to Rory. "Kara."

* * *

**Storm Cellar, just after they got back to Smallville  
**Clark and Rory stared at the spaceship.

"All of a sudden, it's much more... I don't know. Significant?" Rory said.

Clark nodded just as the door opened and Jonathan came in.

"Your mother told me you were back," he said softly. There was silence, neither of the twins responding, and Jonathan continued, "Listen, guys, I know that whatever Dr. Swann told you must be... overwhelming, but..." He paused, not knowing if they were even listening to him and not talking to one another. "If you need to talk about it, your mother and I are always here."

They still didn't answer and Jonathan turned to leave.

"Ever since you told me about this ship – told us about this ship," Clark said, correcting himself halfway through. "We wondered if there were others out there... others like us."

"And now we know there's not," Rory said quietly. "We are totally alone."

"Clark, Rory. You are never alone," Jonathan said, smiling slightly. "This is your home, and we all love you very much. Come on, let's go back up."

"In a minute," Clark said, and Jonathan, accepting this, started to leave again.

Rory and Clark turned also. "We figured out what this is," she said softly.

Rory was holding the rectangular piece of metal that was found along with the ship on the day of the meteor shower. She glanced at it, then looked back at her father. "It's the ship's heart."

"Really?" Jonathan asked, interested. "Have you used it yet?"

"We didn't want to do it alone," Rory replied, looking at the ground.

Jonathan looked a little confused. "Alone? Honey, there's two of you."

"Yeah, but..." She looked back up at him. "You know what we're like, Dad."

He smiled at her, then reached out and put a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Let's do it together."

Clark put the octagonal disk, the key, into its slot on the ship. The pod opened completely for the first time as the ship rose into the air. The three Kents looked inside and saw the indentation of two small children nestled next to one another in the bottom.

"It's hard to believe that you were ever that small," Jonathan murmured.

Rory put the rectangular piece of metal into a slot in the front of the ship. The inside lit up with rows of rotating symbols, just like the messages Dr. Swann had showed them.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked, seeing the confusion on both his children's faces.

"It's a message from our biological father," Rory said, mystified.

"We must be reading it wrong,"Clark tried to reassure both her and himself.

"Why?" Jonathan asked anxiously. "What does it say?"

Rory read it out for him, her voice trembling. "On the third planet from this star Sol, you will be as gods among men. They are a flawed race." Here she faltered, unable to read on.

"Rule them with strength, my children," Clark continued for her, his voice also shaking. "That is where your greatness lies."

Rory walked away from the ship, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I think we were sent here to conquer," Clark said in disbelief.

"What kind of planet are we from?!" Rory asked, upset.

"Maybe you two did misread it," Jonathan said. "But even if you didn't, it's you who will decide what life you're gonna lead. Not me, not your mother, not even your... biological parents."

"What if it's part of who we are?" Rory turned back to them and asked. "Is that the kind of person that we are going to become?"

"Aurora Kent, you and your brother are here to be a force for good, not for evil," Jonathan said firmly.

"How can you be so sure?" Clark asked, voice filled with doubt.

"Because I am your father." Jonathan's voice was strong. "I raised you both, and I know you better than anyone." He hesitated. "Except for each other, of course."

Rory walked back over to Jonathan and Clark. They hugged her, and she hugged them back, looking over their shoulders at the ship. They couldn't see it, but her expression was worried, lines creasing her forehead – just like that of Clark and Jonathan.

* * *

**A/N Ahem. The end. Yes, I know what you're probably thinking – what happened to their cousin being called Kara? Well, for one thing, Kal-El and Kara sounds so much better than what I had in mind before I changed it. Also, I'm not sure I'm gonna write Kara in. I still might, but I'm debating. Plus, if I do write her in, I'll just pretend that Kara is a really common name on Krypton, and Jor-El didn't realise that his hated brother had called his daughter Kara when Jor-El called his daughter Kara.**

**Did anyone even understand that? Oh well.  
**

**Xx.maddy-sparx.xX****  
**


	21. Calling

**Calling – Twenty-First Chapter  
The morning of Clark and Rory's birthday  
**Clark came down the stairs, smiling. He entered the kitchen, where Rory and Martha were having breakfast.

"Hey! Happy birthday," Martha said, smiling.

"Good morning, Mom, Rory," Clark said happily.

"How was your birthday party?" Rory asked mischievously.

"You told Lana?" Clark asked her. "And, actually, she's your best friend. How come she never tried to celebrate your birthday with you?"

"I told her that I didn't want to have a party or anything 'cause I didn't know when my real birthday was," Rory replied.

"She knows we're not too big on birthdays," Martha explained, "but she wanted to do something special for you."

"Thanks."

"I feel bad that we never had parties when you were little," Martha said apologetically, looking at both of them. "We were just so nervous."

"It's okay Mom," said Rory, understanding.

"I know, but what kind of mother denies her children birthday parties?" Martha asked, sadness in her voice. "It's a huge part of childhood."

"Tell you what, Mom," Clark said, an idea forming in his mind. "All the mistakes you made with us, you can fix with the baby."

"You wouldn't want to scar the little one too, would you?" Rory added, smiling.

Martha laughed and said, "Thanks a lot."

Rory, having finished teasing her mother, turned her attention back to Clark. "So, Clark."

"So, Rory."

She grinned, enjoying the playful sibling banter. "How was last night?"

"Are you prying?" Clark asked light-heartedly, also grinning.

Rory pretended to pout and said, "Fine, don't tell me."

"Hi, guys. Look what the cat dragged in," Jonathan said, stepping through the door with Lex just behind him.

"Hey, Lex," Rory called to him cheerfully.

"Hi, Rory."

"Have you had breakfast?" Martha asked him in her motherly way.

"Uh, thanks, but I can't stay," Lex told her.

Rory noticed that he seemed to be a little nervous. She thought about taking a look into his thoughts, then decided against it. She liked to give her friends their privacy.

"I just wanted to ask you two a favour," Lex continued. "I know we've had our differences, so this might sound strange, but it would mean a lot to me." He took a deep breath and went on. "It's customary for the bride and groom to sit with their parents at the rehearsal dinner so... since mine won't be there, I was wondering, if the two of you would mind stepping in?"

Jonathan and Martha smiled at each other, a little surprised. Clark and Rory looked at them both expectantly, waiting for the affirmative they knew was coming.

"Lex, we would be honoured," Jonathan answered, looking at the young man. Rory smiled happily.

"Great," Lex said, his face breaking into a relieved smile. "Uh, that just leaves one open seat at the table. It's in between you two, Clark and Rory. Any suggestions?"

Clark smiled.

* * *

**Kent Farm, later that day  
**Jonathan climbed off his tractor to continue his conversation with Dr. Helen Bryce, Lex's future wife and the only person outside of the Kent family and Pete who knew Clark and Rory's secret.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Helen," he said, jumping the last foot or so. "Did the thieves take anything important?"

Helen cut straight to the chase. "The vial of blood I took from Clark."

Jonathan was shocked. In a trying-to-remain-calm voice, he said, "Please tell me why you would even still have that."

"I thought I might need it someday in case he got sick again, or if Rory got sick I'd have something to compare results to," Helen tried to explain. "It wasn't labelled, there was _no way_ anyone could have connected it to Clark."

"Then why would anyone want to steal it?" Jonathan asked in concern.

Helen shrugged and told him, "Looks like someone just broke open the refrigerator and took whatever was inside. The police think it may have been junkies looking for drugs." She paused, doubt and suspicion lacing her voice. "Or someone who wanted to make it look that way."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that you think I staged this?" Jonathan asked, disbelieving.

"You and I are the only ones who knew about Clark's blood," Helen said bluntly.

"Rory knew. She was there too, remember?" Jonathan reminded her. A thought occurred to him, and it was his turn to be suspicious. "You never told anyone else?"

"Of course not," Helen said, angry that he didn't trust her – forgetting, of course, that only a few seconds ago she had not trusted him.

"Not even the man you're about to marry?" Jonathan asked heatedly.

There was a pause.

"Mr. Kent, Lex is not the man you think he is," Helen finally said.

"Considering the fact that you are about to spend the rest of your life with that man and what you know about my family?" Jonathan stopped and glared at her. "You had better be right."

* * *

**A little later on in the day, Dr. Walden's padded cell  
**Rory stared up at the symbols burnt into the ceiling. Next to her, Clark was looking up too, while Lex simply watched the twins. What he didn't know – well, know for sure – was that Rory and Clark knew instantly that they were Kryptonian symbols.

Lex looked up for a moment, then back at them. Rory looked at him, realizing that he had something important to say.

"I think it says 'the day is coming'," Lex told them. Of course, they already knew that, but the siblings were good at acting – it came from keeping such a big secret.

"You learned how to read the symbols," Clark said, making his voice sound approving.

"No," Lex said, "just an educated guess." Clark and Rory looked confused, and Lex elaborated, "That's what Walden kept saying before he escaped."

Clark looked up again. "I wonder how he wrote it," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

Lex answered anyway. "Apparently he's developed the ability to emit some kind of energy from his hands. I think it maybe has something to do with whatever happened to him in the cave that day."

Rory continued to watch Lex. Lately she had begun to realize that Lex always had ulterior motives, always had a secret reason for doing things.

"Why are you telling us all of this?" she asked. Asking straight out was the easiest way of bringing this ulterior motive to the forefront of his mind.

Sure enough...

_Well, I really just want to know if you know the language, which I'm absolutely positive you do, no matter how hard you try to hide it. But if I tell you that, I'll lose the only real friends I've ever had, except Duncan, but that's different._

This thought took only a split second for Lex to think, and another microsecond for Rory to process it, before Lex said casually, "You two did find him. I was just wondering if you could shed any more light on the situation."

Rory was frowning, trying to remember if Lex had ever mentioned this 'Duncan'. She couldn't remember.

Shoving it to the back of her mind, she rejoined the conversation just as Clark said, "We've already told you everything we know."

Lex didn't acknowledge the comment, instead remarking, "These symbols. They look just like the one on your barn."

"Lex, we told you. We don't know how to read the language," Rory told him, remembering the first part of his thoughts.

"I believe you, Rory," he assured her.

"Then what are we doing here?" she pushed, half wanting him to tell her everything.

Lex shrugged a little. "I thought, based on our mutual interest in the caves, we could solve this mystery together."

"I'm sorry, Lex," Clark said. "But we're as mystified as you are."

"Exactly," agreed Rory.

Lex simply looked at them.

* * *

**Kent farm, same day  
**"I don't get it," Jonathan said to Martha, Clark and Rory as he finished feeding the cows. "First refined kryptonite, and now the caves. What does Luthor want, anyway?"

"I don't know, but I think we have a bigger problem," Clark told him.

"Dr. Walden can read the Krypton language," Rory explained to their parents. "He wrote it on the ceiling at the hospital."

"Do you think he's figured out your secret?" Martha asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure, but there's something else going on in that cave," Rory said darkly.

"The symbols have changed," Clark clarified for his confused parents.

Jonathan and Martha exchanged worried looks.

"What does it say now?" he asked, prepared for the worst.

Clark and Rory conferred silently for a moment over who should tell them.

"It says, 'The day is coming when the last children shall begin their quest to rule the third planet,'" Clark quoted sadly.

Martha didn't know what to say. She'd had no idea that this was the destiny Jor-El wanted for his children.

Jonathan, on the other hand, remembered what the spaceship's most recent message had been.

"Clark –" he began, ready to squash their worries.

"Don't you see?" Rory asked almost desperately, fear in her eyes. "We're the last children."

* * *

**The rehearsal dinner, night  
**Rory stood with Lana and a few of her not-very-close friends from school, not really contributing anything to their conversation as she looked around the room. Her parents were talking to Clark on the other side of the room, while Helen spoke to some women not far away.

Watching Clark again, she saw him look over at her. Glancing at Lana, she saw that Lana was watching Clark also.

When Rory looked back at her brother, however, he had looked away. She watched him for a few more seconds, then he turned his gaze back to Lana.

Rory rolled her eyes. _Lovestruck fools, _she thought. _Why can't they just be happy with one another?_

Hearing a nearby door open, she watched as Lex entered. He went straight over to Helen, and murmured something in her ear.

From where Rory was standing, she could see everything. Being as bored as she was, Rory decided to listen in as well, using her mind-reading powers.

"...have you been?" Helen asked him, smiling.

"Business crisis," Lex replied. "Don't worry, I'm all yours now. I just need a quick moment with the best man."

Rory stopped listening in and brushed Lana's arm with her hand gently. "I've gotta go talk to Clark and my parents, okay?" she murmured.

Lana nodded, and Rory walked over to her family, beating Lex by a few seconds.

"Hello, Mrs. Kent," Lex said to Martha, kissing her on the cheek. He smiled at Rory and said, "You both look lovely."

"Thank you, Lex," Rory said, smiling back at him.

"Everything is beautiful," Martha added.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Kent," Lex said, acting a little formal.

"Hello, Lex," Jonathan said, shaking his hand.

"Hey," Lex replied, smiling at him. "Do you mind if I have a word with your children?"

"No, go right ahead," Jonathan said kindly.

Clark, Lex and Rory stepped away from Jonathan and Martha. Rory noticed that Lex looked a little worried.

"Is everything all right?" she asked him.

"Dr. Walden paid me a visit," Lex said straight out. He figured there was no point in dancing around the subject.

Rory gasped a little and Lex assured her quickly, "No one was hurt. He's on his way back to the hospital."

"Well, that's good news," Clark said quietly. He'd been subdued and quiet most of the day, refusing to talk to Rory about it. Now that she thought about it, really thought about it, he'd only become subdued after talking to Lana, and gone quiet after talking to Chloe.

"He was ranting about you." Lex brought her out of her thoughts. "Both of you."

"What'd he say?" Rory asked, although she had a very good idea of what it was.

"That the writing on the cave wall says..." Lex hesitated, obviously thinking it sounded crazy.

_Or pretending he does, _Rory thought suspiciously.

"...you are going to rule the world."

"We're gonna rule the world?" Rory repeated disbelievingly. She laughed, even though her stomach had sunk at the words, and continued, "He's obviously nuts."

Lex nodded and smiled, just as good an actor as she was an actress. "Of course he is. Unfortunately, my father was there."

Rory's stomach sank even further.

"He heard the whole thing."

"But he didn't believe him, did he?" Rory asked, trying to hide her fear from Lex.

"He quoted one of his favourite Elizabethan poets. 'Twixt truth and madness lies but a sliver of a stream.'" Lex looked at her steadily, not noticing her fear. "He's not gonna just let this drop. I thought I'd warn you."

"Thanks, Lex," Rory smiled at him.

He smiled back.

* * *

**--TIME LAPSE--**

* * *

**Still the rehearsal dinner  
**Clark rose to his feet, tapping his glass to get everyone's attention.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Clark called. The room quieted as he began.

"I think Lex picked me to be the best man because he knew how... comfortable I was speaking in front of people."

There was polite laughter.

"I've been looking through every book from Socrates to Shakespeare, trying to find someone who could put into words the way Lex and Helen feel about each other," Clark told his audience.

"But what I realized is, there are no words for it. And when you have it you trust it, and you believe in it." He looked at Lana, and Rory saw the spark that passed between them.

"Take a chance on it. And you're willing to sacrifice anything to keep it no matter what the cost."

Clark picked up his glass.

"To Helen and Lex."

Everybody murmured his words, repeating them as glasses clinked together all over the room and Lex and Helen kissed.

Rory stood and clinked her glass with Clark's, laughing softly. Lex stood also and hugged Clark.

"That was a good speech," he told him, grinning.

"Thanks," Clark replied, smiling also.

The happiness of the moment was punctured by an all-too-familiar high pitched noise. Rory covered her ears, wincing in pain.

She vaguely heard Lex ask in concern, "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah, we just, uh, gotta get some air," she heard Clark tell him.

She turned and made her way blindly towards where she thought the lobby was.

"Rory, Rory, what's wrong?" she heard a familiar voice asking her.

The noise stopped, and Rory shook her head to clear it.

"It's the key," she heard herself say, as though she was a long way away.

"There's something wrong at home," Clark said at almost the same time.

Rory shook her head again and was herself again. "We gotta go."

She supersped away, hearing Clark just behind her. They arrived in the loft seconds later, Rory still wearing her pretty dress and Clark his suit.

"Rory," Clark said, noticing how long her dress was, "Something big is going on, and I don't know how that dress can handle it."

She glanced down and nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Reaching down, she used her powers to make the bottom part of the dress disappear, so that instead of reaching the floor, it only came to her mid-thighs.

"Much better," she said decisively.

While she had been preoccupied with her dress, Clark had tried to find the toolbox.

"Clark?"

"Not here," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe-"

"I came looking for you."

Their heads whipped towards the voice, which of course belonged to Dr. Walden.

He held up the key. "And I found the proof. You are the ones."

"Dr. Walden, listen to me," Rory said calmly. "You need help."

"No," he replied, just as calmly – only because he was insane, not because he was trying. "You both need to die."

He shot a burst of energy out of his hand. It hit Clark in the chest and sent him flying through the wall of the barn.

Dr. Walden turned to look at Rory, his eyes dead. He raised his hand and sent a burst of energy at her.

Rory greeted it with a shield of her own blue energy. Straining to focus on her forcefield, she cried with both her mind and her voice, _"Clark, help!"_

Clark ran back in, taking in the scene in a second. He used his heat vision on Dr. Walden's arm, making him lose concentration.

_I've got a plan, _he said quickly. _Come on!_

They ran outside, Rory panting, and turned to see Dr. Walden following them.

_Follow my lead, _Clark told Rory.

"Dr. Walden," he pleaded, backing away.

Dr. Walden blasted Clark with the energy beam again, raising him high in the air.

"Dr. Walden, no!" Rory yelled.

She focused her power into a beam of energy similar to his, fear making her work fast. She used it to blast his arm, like Clark had done just before.

It worked again – Dr. Walden hit the ground, both beams of energy dissipating into the air.

Clark fell to the ground next to her. Rory pulled him to his feet, Dr. Walden getting up shakily also.

"Doctor, you're making a mistake," Clark said, his voice rough with pain.

"No, I'm not," he said, trembling. "I'm doing this for mankind."

As he raised his hand, both Rory and Clark reacted instantly, superspeeding away.

Dr. Walden tried to follow them with the energy beam. Rory had a sudden flash of inspiration and ran in front of a propane tank.

She supersped away, running faster than she ever had before as the tank exploded. The blast caught her, lifting her into the air.

Clark caught her, and she grinned happily at him.

"Thanks, Clark."

"You're welcome."

They turned to look at the explosion, but neither could see Dr. Walden.

"You know, that was pretty stupid," Clark said conversationally.

"I thought it was a pretty damn good plan, actually," Rory replied. He put her down, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist.

"You could have at least gotten me to do it," Clark said. "The explosion wouldn't have hurt me if I hadn't been able to get away fast enough. If you hadn't been able to run that fast…"

"But I could. And I got away, and I'm not hurt," Rory told him, understanding how afraid he must have been. "So, no harm done."

"Except to Dr. Walden." Clark's voice was barely a whisper, but Rory heard him.

"He was insane, Clark. The world is better off without him."

"Yeah, I guess so," Clark said, sounding unconvinced.

The fire from the explosion had died down enough for them to walk over to Dr. Walden – or what remained of him, anyway.

Dr. Walden's body was burnt so badly it was completely black and shriveled.

Rory turned her head into Clark's shoulder, unable to look at what she had done.

"Forget what I said before." Her voice was muffled. "No one deserves that."

He hugged her, unable to look away.

* * *

**Even later that night, Kent kitchen  
**Clark stared at the octagonal key he held in his hand. Rory sat in the chair next to him, still in her dress, and Martha and Jonathan stood on the other side of the bench.

"I had to pry it from his hand," Clark said.

"It was horrible," Rory said, shuddering.

"It wasn't your fault, Rory," Martha said sympathetically. "The man tried to kill you. He was delusional."

"Even the sheriff said so, Rors," Jonathan agreed. "Walden was responsible for his own death."

"What if he was right, though?" Rory asked the question that had been bothering her ever since they had opened the spaceship. "What if we are some sort of threat to mankind?"

"I'll never believe that," Martha declared. "And neither should you."

"Then what does it mean?" Rory argued. "The day is coming when we'll begin our quest to rule?"

"We don't know, Rory," Jonathan said gently. "But when and if that day does come, your mother and I know that you will both do the right thing."

Rory looked at the key in Clark's hand.

* * *

**Even even later that night (****I know, it goes forever)**** Kent barn  
**Clark watched the door Lana had just disappeared through, grinning happily.

"Have fun?"

He turned to see Rory grinning also behind him.

"Please tell me you didn't see that," he said, groaning slightly.

"Nope. I just saw her leaving, and you two kissing," Rory replied lightly, still smiling.

"That's what I was talking about," he said.

"Oh. Really? I had no idea," Rory said mischievously.

Their conversation was interrupted by a man's deep voice.

_"Kal-El, Kara. It is time."_

They looked at each other, shocked.

"Did you-" Rory began.

Clark nodded, and they turned. Walking outside, their gaze was instantly drawn to the storm cellar. There was golden light shining through the cracks in the door.

_"Kal-El, Kara, it is time," _the voice repeated.

The twins walked towards the door, standing outside it side by side for a moment.

Clark reached down and opened it. They both squinted against the golden light, before walking down the stairs.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**A/N The apology you are no doubt looking for is in the next part of this A/N. Anyway, a quick legend:  
**_Italics _**mean thoughts.  
**_"Italics" _**in speech marks means thought and speech.**_  
_**And Rory can use raw power inside her to manipulate molecular structure, creating the forcefield and the beam of energy, as well as changing her dress.  
A link to what I think of as her dress (except in either red or purple. I couldn't decide.) Oh, and take out the spaces:** ** www. edressme. com /n8113. html  
Next chapter will be Exodus, of course.**

**APOLOGY:  
I am so sorry for not updating in forever and ever and ever. (aka about 6 weeks.) First, I went away about three times, I lost my USB stick which has the only full copy of this story on it, so I couldn't write, people kept coming over, I got distracted, I got writer's block… the list goes on. But, I'm still sorry, and I promise the next update will come faster. Thank you!**

**All questions and constructive criticism is welcome.  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**_  
_


	22. Exodus Part 1

**Exodus – Twenty-Second Chapter  
Storm Cellar, continuing straight on from the last chapter  
**Clark and Rory continued down the stairs, a strong wind blowing around them and the golden light shining straight into their eyes.

The golden light was coming from the ship. It was hovering in the air, and the voice spoke again – it was also coming from the ship.

_"Fear not, Kal-El, Kara," _it said.

Rory grabbed Clark's hand as he yelled over the wind, "Who are you?"

_"I am Jor-El," _the voice said gravely. _"Your father."_

"I thought you died!" Rory shouted.

_"I am his memory, his will," _the ship replied. It leaned forward until its tip was pointing straight down at the ground and continued, _"I am to fulfil his promise and guide you all the days of your life. You are the last children of Krypton."_

The wings of the ship folded in until all that remained was the egg shaped pod that had once held Clark and Rory on their journey to earth.

_"When you travelled through the cosmos," _Jor-El continued, _"you carried all the hopes and dreams of your people. They now live through you, my children. It is time."_

The pod morphed into a perfect replica of the Earth, the golden light replaced by a blue glow.

"Time for what?" Clark yelled.

_"Time to accept your destiny." _Jor-El's voice held no room for argument.

Anger flared in Rory. How could this Jor-El order them around as though he had raised them, as though he knew what was best for them? "I don't know what you have in mind for us, but-"

A shadow crept over the small planet, making it appear as though the sun was setting. Then the golden light shone out from behind it again.

_"By the setting of the sun Sol," _Jor-El's voice intoned, _"you will return to me. Your destiny will be fulfilled."_

Clark and Rory felt a sudden tug on their backs. They turned, to see Lana, Jonathan and Martha appear in front of them. The golden light bathed their faces as they smiled serenely, apparently not noticing the strangeness of the situation.

"_Your thoughts are not a mystery to me, Kal-El, nor yours, Kara," _Jor-El spoke sharply. _"These people have served their purpose. It is time to leave them."_

Clark looked at the Lana-apparition intensely, longing evident on his face. Rory watched the copies of her parents, suspicion in her face.

_I think it's a trick._

_It's a damn good one, then, _Clark replied.

He reached out to touch Lana's face. It disintegrated under his hand, as did their parents.

The twins turned back to the ship, which had resumed its egg-like pod shape.

"Please!" Clark cried desperately. "Everything and everyone that we love is here! In Smallville!"

_"You must let go of your past," _Jor-El said. Rory could hear irritation as he went on, _"I will guide you to your future."_

"No, we don't want your guidance!" Rory screamed. "We want to create our own futures!"

_"You have no choice, Kara, Kal-El," _Jor-El replied with finality.

The pod started to spin until suddenly it exploded, sending out a bright white light. It shone up into the sky outside, then abruptly went out, leaving Clark and Rory in darkness.

"You okay?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded, then realised that he couldn't see her due to the darkness. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Everything's gonna be alright," he told her, trying to reassure himself as well as her.

"Yeah, I hope so," Rory replied darkly.

* * *

**Next morning, Kent farm  
**Jonathan and Martha came outside to find Clark and Rory sitting on the front steps, obviously thinking hard about something.

"Well, you two are up early," Jonathan said, surprised.

"We never went to sleep," Rory said unhappily.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Martha asked.

Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, then Clark said, "We kind of met our biological father last night."

He looked up at Martha, who shared a worried look with Jonathan. Rory continued to stare at her bare feet.

* * *

**Storm cellar  
**"When we heard his voice, it was coming from the ship," Clark told his parents as they walked down the stairs to the storm cellar.

"But it sounded like it was in my head, our heads, you know?" Rory said. "He said it was time."

"Said it was time for what?" Jonathan asked.

"To leave Smallville," Rory said quietly.

"And fulfil our destiny," Clark finished.

"He said that?" Martha asked carefully, trying to be strong for her children.

They walked towards the ship as Clark said, "We have until sundown today."

"Or what?" Jonathan questioned.

"I'm not sure," Clark said.

"He said we didn't have a choice," Rory told them. "Why is this happening now? Just when our lives are coming together? I mean, the farm's out of debt, I'm gonna be a big sister-"

"I'm gonna be a big brother," Clark said. "And…" he blushed, "Lana and I are finally getting together."

"You seem pretty 'gotten together' to me," Rory muttered quietly. Clark punched her lightly in the arm and she laughed for the first time since meeting Jor-El.

"Whatever your biological father may have in mind for you," Martha said philosophically, "they're his hopes and dreams, not yours."

"Clark, Rory, you choose your own destiny," Jonathan agreed wisely. "Nobody can decide that for you."

Clark and Rory looked at them seriously. Rory took a step towards them and said, "This is our home, and you are our parents."

Clark stepped forward also and said, "This is where we belong."

"And we're not going anywhere," Rory finished softly.

* * *

**Kawatche caves, that afternoon  
**Clark and Rory entered the caves for the first time since Lionel Luthor had taken control of them.

There was metal scaffolding and electronic equipment including a stand holding a plastic tube focused straight at the octagonal groove in the wall. Encased in the tube was some advanced looking machinery.

They heard a switch flick, filling the cave with artificial light and Rory turned. Lionel was striding around the corner, his face a mask.

"I'm gonna have to put a stop to these unauthorized visits," he said calmly. His thoughts, however, were entirely different.

_HOW did they get in again?! I thought they only got in because my dearest son let them, but here they are, when I specifically told the guards on the door not to let _ANYONE_ past!_

Rory winced and Clark said, surprised, "Mr. Luthor."

"What are you doing here?" he asked coolly.

"We were just curious," Rory said innocently, making her too-blue eyes big and wide.

Lionel laughed with not a trace of humour. "I suppose so."

He looked around at the cave and said openly, "According to poor Dr. Walden," his eyes flicked to Rory, "you're talked about quite a bit on these walls. Apparently," he emphasised the word, acting as though he didn't believe it, "you two are going to rule us all."

Rory kept her emotions hidden. "I'm surprised someone like _you_, Mr. Luthor, would put stock in anything he had to say."

"I know you worked closely with the man," he said, a flash of something like hunger visible in his eyes for a moment. "I'm sure there are insights that one of you could give me." Both siblings remained stoic, and he added, "It would be extremely helpful."

"He didn't tell either of us anything," Clark stated.

Lionel stared at them for a moment, then said in a tone that clearly spoke of his disbelief, "Hmm."

Distracting him from his sister, at least for the moment, Clark asked, "What's with all the machinery?"

Lionel looked around as he said, "I'm going to unlock the secrets hidden within these walls."

"Didn't you see what happened to Dr. Walden?" Rory asked, surprised. Lionel looked at her with his eyebrows raised and she blushed.

"She's right, it's dangerous," Clark said bluntly.

"Yes, but I have something he didn't," said Lionel, smiling triumphantly. "The key."

Rory and Clark exchanged a quick look.

_But the key's back at home._

_Shh, Clark, he'll notice!_

"Once I insert that key into the slot," Lionel continued as though he hadn't realised anything (he had), "I'm convinced the answers will be revealed to me."

"I don't understand," Rory said clearly. Clark shot her a look that needed no translation – what the hell are you doing?

"I thought the key was stolen from your vault," Rory finished, and Clark relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Lionel stepped closer to the twins. "It was, but before it mysteriously disappeared, I had it analysed. The composition was," he paused, "unique."

His gaze flicked between the siblings, searching for the slightest hint of _anything. _"There's nothing like it on Earth, with one exception."

Neither Rory nor Clark betrayed any of their eagerness to hear what he had to say.

He stepped even closer to them. "The meteor rocks found here in Smallville," Lionel whispered, his eyes alight with excitement.

He walked away from them, saying loudly, "So I have fashioned my own key."

Lionel opened a small metal box and showed it to them. Rory stepped back quickly, realizing before Clark what was in it.

"It's identical in every detail," he told them.

Rory fought down nausea, trying not to show Lionel how horrible she felt – any sign of weakness he would jump on like a shark on blood.

Unable to help herself however, she took a peek inside the box. She had been right.

A key exactly the one in their possession lay inside, the only differences being that it was bright green and transparent.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Lionel murmured, sounding almost hypnotised.

Clark grimaced, stepping back with Rory behind him.

Lionel noticed and said, sounding concerned, "Clark? You don't look well. Neither do you, Aurora. Are you all right?"

No matter how many times she asked, almost ordered him to call her Rory, he called her by her full name. Rory wasn't sure if he did it to annoy her or just because he could.

Rory tugged Clark's shirt.

_We should go..._

_Yes, _he agreed instantly.

"I'm fine," he told Lionel, barely remembering his question. "Be careful."

"Lionel Luthor's never gotten anywhere in life playing it safe," he boasted. He closed the box and Clark almost sighed in relief. Rory leaned a little on him.

From where Lionel was standing, it looked very much like Clark was protecting his sister. _But from what? _he wondered. Careful not to let his thoughts show on his face, he instead looked at them excitedly.

"We should probably get home," Rory said. Her legs still felt watery from the effect of the meteor rock.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad might be worried," Clark agreed.

"Give my regards to them, won't you?" Lionel said.

Clark nodded and pulled Rory out.

Lionel watched them go, a calculating look on his face.

* * *

**Sunset, barn loft  
**Clark watched the sunset from the window while Rory sat on the couch. He was tense, despite the beauty of the scene in front of him – brilliant orange and gold lit the sky.

"I figured this is where I'd find you two."

Rory turned to see the speaker, anxiety written in every line of her body. Clark didn't turn, knowing immediately who it was.

"Just watching the sunset," he replied, feigning calm. "I just hope it's not the last one I see from up here."

"It won't be, Clark," Jonathan assured him.

Rory sighed and stood up from the couch. She walked over to Clark, watching the sunset for a moment before turning and beginning to pace.

"Rory, if you're going to do that, you might as well sit back down," Clark said sternly.

Rory ignored him and Jonathan said, "Rory, it's just another sundown."

Jonathan looked out at the sun, which was slowly sinking beneath the horizon. Clark took a deep breath, bracing himself and Rory walked back over to him, lifting Clark's arm and putting it around her.

They watched with bated breath as the sun slipped lower and lower. It seemed to take forever, most likely just because of what was at stake.

Rory shifted her weight to her other foot and flicked her long blonde hair nervously. Clark didn't take his eyes off the golden orb which was just dipping over the horizon.

Finally they could no longer see it, even when the Kryptonian siblings strained their eyes. Jonathan smiled, slapping Clark on the back.

"Come on," he said to them jovially. "Your mother's got dinner ready."

Clark smiled back. "Yeah, we'll be there in a minute."

Jonathan began to leave.

"Dad?" Rory turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

Rory smiled at him. "Thanks for always believing in me. In us."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he said. He left.

Rory glanced one last time at the now-purple sky, her face breaking into a wide grin. "We did it!"

"_It is time, Kal-El, Kara."_

The happiness drained from her face as she stared at Clark, whose face had gone white.

"No," she whispered.

_"Come to me."_

* * *

**Storm Cellar, 2 seconds later...  
**The ship hovered just above the ground. It was glowing a little.

_"You will obey me, Kal-El, Kara,"_ came the thought-voice of their biological father.

"You're not our father," Rory said defiantly. "You can't control us!"

The ship turned until its front was pointing at them. There was a white blast and Clark was thrown into the corner of the room. He hung upside down and screamed in pain, unable to move.

"Clark!" Rory cried, terrified, before another blast caught her, flinging her against the wall.

Clark pulled open his shirt, where a symbol was slowly being burnt into his chest.

Rory screamed and tried to go to him, to stop the symbol, but yet another blast flung her against the wall again.

The same symbol began to burn itself onto her abdomen. She thought she heard Jor-El say, _"It must go there, for it would not fit over your chest."_

She definitely heard the next one: _"This is the mark of your ancestors. You cannot fight it, my children."_

They continued to scream, the pain unbearable, as Jor-El went on, _"At the zenith of the star Sol, you will begin your journey together."_

The ship lowered and Clark fell to the ground, followed instantly by Rory. Still unable to move, echoes of pain rippling through their bodies, they heard the finality in their father's voice as he said coldly, _"If you do not, you will hurt the ones you love most."_

Clark tried to get up and fell onto his back, revealing the symbol on his chest which still glowed slightly. Rory turned herself just enough to be able to see it, and her eyes widened.

She looked down at her own body, hands shaking as she pulled her shirt up. The same symbol was burned onto her stomach. Its glow faded slowly as she looked at her brother, eyes troubled.

* * *

**Next morning, Kent farm  
**Clark leaned on the fence outside the house, turning Lana's now harmless necklace over in his hands, watching the sun sparkle from its facets. Rory sat on the fence next to him, kicking her feet against it.

"This sucks," she said softly.

"Yeah, it really does," he returned, just as quiet.

"If only we could get rid of him! Or the spaceship, either one," Rory whisper-yelled.

"If we got rid of the spaceship, it would have the added bonus of removing the physical evidence that we're aliens," Clark said thoughtfully.

"Yes, but how? Does it have a weakness?" Rory asked just as their parents came out of the house, dressed in their wedding clothes.

"Clark, Rory!" Martha said, playfully upbraiding them. "Why aren't you ready?"

Clark slipped the necklace into his pocket as he turned to face them.

"The wedding doesn't start for a few hours, Mom," Rory replied.

"Exactly! It takes girls much longer to get dressed then it does boys, Rory," Jonathan replied laughingly. Like his wife, he was in a good mood. "Besides, your mother wants to get a good seat."

"I promised Helen I'd go early and check the flowers," Martha added.

"Well, I gotta pick up Lana, so I'll meet you there," Clark told them.

"What about you, Rors?" Jonathan asked.

"I'll just catch a ride with Clark," she shrugged. Beaming at Clark, she asked in a honeyed voice, "You don't mind, do you darling brother of mine?"

"Of course not," he responded dryly, smiling half-heartedly.

Martha looked at Jonathan, concerned.

"Clark," Jonathan said, happiness fading from his voice. "How's it going today?"

"Good," Clark replied.

_Think they've guessed? _Rory asked him.

_I don't know._

"No voice?" Jonathan asked.

Clark hesitated and Rory said cheerfully, "No voice."

Happiness returned, Jonathan said, "Looks like you two are just gonna have to face the future the old-fashioned way."

"I guess so," said Clark, still sombre. "It's pretty scary."

Jonathan chuckled and said, "Yeah."

Martha and Jonathan began to walk towards the truck.

"Mom?" Clark said suddenly.

Martha turned back. "Yes, Clark?"

"You look beautiful today," he said seriously.

"Yeah, you do," Rory added wistfully.

"Thank you, sweethearts," Martha replied, smiling at them. Jonathan helped her into the truck and Clark looked at Rory, obviously distressed. Rory stared at the ground.

* * *

**Storm cellar, not long after  
**Clark opened his shirt to show Pete the scar. He whistled, asking, "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore," Clark answered.

Pete looked at Rory. "Do you have one, too?"

She nodded and said, "On my stomach. Daddy dearest," she said the words as sarcastically as she could, "decided it wouldn't fit over my… chest."

Pete shook his head and asked, "You got any idea what it means?"

Clark looked over at the ship and said, "It's our biological father's way of telling us we have to do what he wants."

"We think that by noon, it'll control us," Rory finished for him.

"Your parents must be freaked out," Pete said.

Rory looked down, twisting her fingers together. It was Clark who answered him as he buttoned up his shirt.

"We didn't tell them."

"Why wouldn't you tell them?" Pete asked, shock evident on his face.

"Because, Pete, I know what we have to do," Clark said fiercely.

"You do?" Rory questioned in bewilderment. "I just didn't want to worry them."

"They'll never agree with me in a thousand years," Clark said. "I have to destroy the ship."

"Clark, we've been through this," Rory said, exasperated. "It must've travelled light-years through space – I doubt we could even dent it, much less destroy it."

"What if we had a kryptonite key?" Clark said with the air of a magician performing his greatest trick.

"Clark, this is whacked!" Pete said.

Clark pulled the necklace out of his pocket and showed it the two of them.

"Remember this?" he asked. "Lana's necklace."

"I could hardly forget, Clark," Rory said patronizingly.

"But what does that have to do with the ship?" Pete asked.

Clark scowled at Rory and said, "Everything."

When it was clear that Pete still didn't get it, Clark explained, "When Tina Greer tied me up down here, it nearly killed me."

"You had to _remind _me," Rory complained. Clark ignored her.

"But before it could, the ship neutralized it."

"You said the ship was protecting you," Pete argued.

"What if it wasn't?" Clark said, again with his magician's air.

Rory gasped. "Think about it, Pete. We're from Krypton, and so is the ship, and what's the one thing that can kill us?"

"So you think that kryptonite can destroy the ship?" Pete asked sceptically. Clark just looked at him. "Clark, it's too dangerous. Do you hear me? You've never done this before. You don't know what will happen." When it was obvious Clark still wasn't convinced, Pete raised his voice and said, "It could kill you!"

Clark looked at Rory.

Understanding, she said, "It could kill Clark, yes. But me..."

Pete changed tack. "Besides, where are you going to get a kryptonite key?"

Rory looked up at Clark, her eyes shining with admiration. "Clark, you're a genius."

"Why thank you," he replied, smiling.

* * *

**11:50am, same day, Kent farm  
**Clark and Rory exited the barn just as Chloe pulled up.

Rory turned to Clark.

"I'll get rid of her," he said, understanding the worry on her face.

"Clark, we have _10 minutes_," she urged him.

"I'll be there, I promise," he reassured her. Rory shook her head and walked past him.

Chloe was just getting out of her car. "Hey, Clark, I'm glad I caught you before the wedding."

"Chloe, what are you doing here?" he asked bluntly.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her journalistic instinct perking up. "I mean, I heard you were looking for me."

"Yeah, um, I was, but..." Clark trailed off, searching for something that would make her leave.

_We don't have time for subtlety, Clark!_

He looked towards the storm cellar and said, "I can't talk to you right now."

He started to push her back to her car.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked him angrily.

"Look, I promise I'll find you later," he assured her.

"Clark, I-" she managed to get out before he cut her off.

"Don't worry. I'll find you, okay?"

Chloe glared at his retreating back. "So how'd you decide? Rock-paper-scissors, coin toss, or did you just happen to draw the short straw?"

Clark turned. Puzzled, he said, "Decide?"

Chloe walked towards him as she said bitterly, "Who was gonna tell me that you and Lana are together."

Clark was shocked. "You know?"

"Yeah. I came over to the barn the other night to warn you about something."

_Clark..._

_Hold on._

"About what?"

"You know, it doesn't matter now," Chloe said cynically. "The point is I saw you and Lana in a major lip lock."

"I-I didn't mean-" Clark stammered.

Chloe cut him off angrily. "Didn't what, Clark? Newsflash. You've always been in love with Lana," she said, starting to get a little teary.

That just made her angrier as she said, "I tried to deny it, thinking that maybe we could work something out, but it's like fate, Clark. Inevitable, but always surprising when it actually happens."

"I was going to tell you," Clark said apologetically.

"Really?" Chloe asked in disbelief. "Because obviously, it was at the top of your to-do list."

Clark shook his head and she continued, "You know, I can deal with the fact that you guys are together. It hurts, but I was prepared for it."

Anger rising inside her once more, she yelled, "But we just made a promise to be honest with each other, and you didn't have the guts to keep your word!"

"Chloe-"

She was tired of listening to his excuses. "Or was it just that it was too much fun making a fool of me that you couldn't reveal your secret?"

Chloe turned and walked towards her car. "Have a nice life, Clark," she threw over her shoulder.

Clark watched her drive away.

_Clark, we've got two minutes._

He ran towards the storm cellar.

* * *

**Jonathan and Martha  
**"Why wouldn't they have come to the wedding? Clark was - is - best man. Lex is one of Rory's best friends," Martha said anxiously.

"I'm sure they had a good reason," Jonathan replied.

The truck sped on towards the farm.

* * *

**Storm Cellar  
**Clark went down the stairs. Rory stood at the bottom, waiting for him. She held the box containing the kryptonite key in her hands.

Neither of them said a word, with their minds or their voices. Turning towards the ship, Rory opened the box away from herself and Clark. Reaching in, using her superspeed, she touched the key, turning it off. She felt dizzy for a moment, then recovered.

"Go," Clark said softly.

Clark stepped back as Rory pulled out the key. Walking confidently towards the ship, she knelt, bracing herself.

She pushed the key into the octagonal groove – it fit perfectly, just as they'd known it would. She stepped backwards quickly, standing next to Clark.

The twins watched in awe and fear as the ship's surface began to fester and burn, the damage moving away from the ship. They took another step back as the ship rose into the air jerkily, still burning.

The metal began to screech, the burning surface glowing green, the ship shaking even more violently until finally it disappeared in a burst of white light.

Clark sensed something was wrong and grabbed Rory, throwing her to the ground. He covered her body with his as much as possible, knowing that he couldn't be hurt – but she could.

The door of the cellar sank into the ground as another flash of light burst through it, into the sky. A ring of white light expanded outwards, moving extremely fast and away from the newly-made hole in the ground.

* * *

**Jonathan and Martha  
**They were nearly home when they first saw it.

A huge ring of white light, moving quickly towards them and taller than a nearby telephone pole.

Martha screamed as Jonathan swerved to avoid it, driving into a field as sparks showered down from the telephone pole. The truck tipped over and rolled a few times, landing upside down.

There was no trace of movement inside.

* * *

**A/N Alright, I'm gonna end it there. Why? Because it's over 4,000 words long, that's why. I didn't realise how long it was, otherwise I would have posted it much sooner. Exam week is this week, so an update is unlikely. I am also going away to a little island about 2 hours away from Brisbane called New Caledonia from the 3****rd**** of July to the 10****th**** of July. So yeah.**

**Now, I got this idea from another fic, but it's a cool one: from now on in, I'm going to ask a question pertaining to Smallville or Supernatural (mostly Smallville) and a few random ones. If you have any ideas, feel free to PM me.**

**Question 1: If you had a choice between being a Kryptonian on Earth or a Kryptonian on Krypton, which would you choose? Kryptonite exists on Earth, by the way, but Krypton is still there.**

**Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	23. Exodus Part 2

**Exodus – Twenty-Third Chapter  
**Rory lay on the ground, slowly coming back to her senses. She coughed and sat up, Clark rolling off her as she looked at the devastation around her.

"Clark, wake up," she said quickly, shaking him. She barely registered that she was covered in ash and dirt, as was he.

He woke up, pushing a plank of wood out of his way and coughing. Rory pulled herself to her feet, steadying herself before helping Clark up too.

Rory finally took a good look at Clark and gasped. His shirt was shredded, the sleeves were almost non-existent. His face and hair were smeared with dirt.

Clark realised what was wrong and gave a wobbly smile. "Yeah, you don't look so good yourself, sis."

Rory laughed shakily. Looking down at herself, she realised that he was right. There were little cuts and bruises all over her, but Clark had saved her from the worst of the explosion.

She smiled at him gratefully and said, "Thanks, Clark."

"For what?"

"Saving me."

Rory walked over to the stairs, the only recognisable feature left in the ruin. She tried to go up them at her usual pace, but got dizzy and tripped at the top, putting out her arms to catch herself.

"You okay?" Clark asked her, coming up beside her.

She looked up, about to reassure him, but found herself unable to speak.

"Rory?" Clark was concerned now.

She pointed.

Clark followed her finger, looking out to see a red truck upside down in a field near the barn.

Jonathan's truck.

Without a word, the twins supersped towards it.

* * *

**Smallville Hospital, not long after  
**Jonathan gazed into the hospital room in which his wife lay unconscious. Three different doctors were caring for her.

"How is she?" Clark asked softly, coming up behind him.

"Doctors don't know yet," Jonathan said, also quiet. There was a pause, then Jonathan said bluntly, "What did you do, Clark?"

"We stole Lionel's kryptonite key," Rory said. Jonathan hadn't realised she was there until that point.

"_I _stole Lionel's kryptonite key," Clark corrected.

Rory nodded and said, "Then I put it in the ship."

Jonathan walked away from the window to stand behind them. "And why did you do that?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"Dad, I lied about the voice," Clark confessed, turning towards him. Jonathan didn't look at them, and Clark went on desperately, "It did come back. It told us we had to leave by noon."

"We didn't have a choice, Dad," Rory said urgently. "We had to destroy the ship."

Jonathan swallowed, holding back tears. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We knew you wouldn't agree with what we did," Rory said, the pleading in her voice asking for his forgiveness.

"Dad, we didn't want it to take us away from you," Clark tried feebly.

"I'm so sorry," Rory whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Jonathan turned to them angrily, and said heatedly, "Your actions have consequences, both of you. Didn't your mother and I ever teach you that?"

"Yes, but-"

"There's no time for excuses, Clark. It's too late. You two didn't think this thing through. You had no idea what was going to happen, and now..." he glanced through the window, the continued, "Now your mother is lying in a hospital bed."

"Mr. Kent?"

Jonathan turned away from his speechless children to see a doctor standing behind them. He composed himself enough to ask, "Doctor, how is my wife?"

The doctor smiled. "She has a mild concussion, but she'll be fine."

"And how is our baby?" Jonathan asked slowly.

The doctor's smile faded. He said gravely, "I'm sorry."

Jonathan stood motionless as the doctor walked away. He felt as though his world was crashing down around him, and the worst part was that his children, his own children, had been the cause.

"Dad..." Clark said, so many emotions in his voice not one of them was identifiable.

Jonathan shook his head blindly and walked into Martha's room, slamming the door behind him.

Rory and Clark stayed where they were, shaken.

* * *

**The crater where the storm cellar used to be, not long after  
**Clark and Rory stood in the middle of the hole that used to be their storm cellar, shell shocked. Neither of them had spoken since their father had slammed that door behind him, effectively telling them he didn't want them.

"Clark, what happened?"

They still didn't move.

"It looks like a bomb went off, Rory."

Rory swallowed and walked away, running her hand over the wreckage all around them.

"Where are your parents?" Lana asked, coming down the stairs.

"Hospital," Clark replied quietly. "They're fine," he reassured her mechanically. "My mom lost the baby."

"The baby?" Lana took a step closer.

"This is all my fault, Lana," Rory said, her voice almost inaudible. "I did this."

"How could you do this?" Lana asked, puzzlement written on her face.

"The same way I always do," Rory said emotionally, turning to face her best friend. "I bring pain and suffering into everyone's lives."

"Rory, that's not true," Lana said gently.

"She's right, Rors, it's not," Clark said stonily. Lana smiled, and Clark continued, "It's my fault, too."

"Clark," Lana said disappointed. "You _know _that's not right."

"Yes, Lana, it is."

It was Clark's turn to get emotional as he said, "I – we've kept so much from you."

Lana hesitated, knowing that this wasn't a lie, and Rory went on for Clark in a rush, "If you knew the truth, you'd never talk to us again."

Lana was already shaking her head. "I don't believe that."

Clark's eyes filled with tears as he said, "I tried to cover up our past, and push it away. I – we couldn't." He began to pace aimlessly.

"He said if we didn't go, everyone we love would be hurt," Rory said, her voice choked and soft. "He was right."

Lana looked from one to the other, saying, "Guys, you're in shock. Neither of you are making any sense."

She walked over to Clark, who was closer, but he pushed her away.

"No, Lana. Stay away from me. Stay away before I hurt you too," Clark said, a single tear trickling down his cheek.

He ran up the stairs and away. Rory gave Lana one last despairing look before following him, leaving Lana to stand alone, confused and upset.

* * *

**The Torch  
**Clark rummaged in the drawers of the Torch, pulling them out and checking their contents, then moving on when he realised it wasn't there.

Rory came in, saying in relief, "There you are, Clark. I couldn't find you after you ran away, and then you weren't answering me..." she trailed off as she realised what he was doing.

"Clark, I've been looking all over for you," said Pete, who had just entered. "I heard what happened, guys."

"What, are you here to tell me I screwed up in some major way?" Clark asked dispassionately, still pulling out drawers.

"No. Hey, listen, I'm sorry and I want to help," Pete said.

"It's too late for that, Pete," Clark said darkly. "No one can help me now."

Rory scowled. "Well, if you're beyond help, then so am I, Clark. What are you looking for?"

But she knew the answer. Not because she'd looked in his mind or anything like that, but because she knew him, knew how he was feeling.

Clark glanced up at her, and knew that she knew. But he answered anyway.

"I know Chloe kept one of those red kryptonite rings around here somewhere."

"Yeah, well, what do you want it for?" Pete asked. "You know what it does to you."

"Yeah. It makes me feel better," Clark said coldly.

"That's not the answer, Clark," Pete argued. Rory kept silent, looking for the solution.

"I saw Lana," Pete continued as Clark kept looking. "I heard what happened to your mom's baby."

Rory flinched. Pete said, almost angry with Clark, "You need to talk to your folks."

Clark finally turned to Pete, bursting out angrily, "We did talk to my folks, Pete! You should have seen the way Dad looked at us."

"It was like we were aliens," Rory said ironically.

"If I'd have just done what I should have done in the beginning, none of this would have happened," Clark cried.

He looked down at the floor and saw a little black ring box. He bent down to pick it up, but a hand snatched it out from under him.

Looking up, he saw that Rory now held it. She opened it, revealing one of the rings.

Playing with it, making the light strike its facets, she asked calmly, "Does it really make you feel better?"

Clark nodded.

"Then I'm not letting you put it on, Clark," she said briskly, watching his face fall. "Not unless you can get me something with this in it, too."

"Rory, don't do it!" Pete said loudly. They looked at him as he said, "Don't let him do it. When you put that ring on, you're not yourself."

Rory never looked away from him as she said steadily, "What if I don't want to be myself anymore, Pete?"

They walked out, Clark saying, "There's a souvenir shop that sells necklaces and stuff with meteor rocks in it. We get a red one..."

"Clark! Rory!" Pete called after them. Neither of them turned and he shook his head, discouraged.

* * *

**Souvenir shop  
**A little bell tinkled as Rory walked into the shop. Glancing around, she spotted a girl standing behind the counter and made a bee-line for her.

"Hello, and welcome to the store! Can I help you?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, actually. I heard you had jewellery that you make from the meteor rocks?" Rory said.

"Indeed we do. Would you like to see?"

"No!" Rory said loudly, then smiled sweetly. "No, I was looking for the red variety, actually. Do you have any... necklaces, say?"

"Sure."

The girl went into the back storeroom. Rory turned to survey the shop, tapping her toe impatiently on the floor.

_Rory. Hurry up. If we want to leave Smallville before anyone notices, we're gonna have to go soon._

She looked out the window to see Clark standing there. His face was anxious, his stance eager, as he tapped his watch and widened his eyes at her.

She nodded reassuringly just as the salesgirl came back out.

"Here's a few varieties you might like."

The first was a simple silver chain with a large chunk of what Rory recognised as red kryptonite shaped like a love heart on the end.

"No, it's too... cliché. Garish," Rory dismissed it.

The second was similar, but instead of a love heart it was a teardrop.

"Better."

Rory slid it to the side, into what she already considered the maybe pile.

The third was still on a simple silver chain, but it didn't have a chunk of red kryptonite on it. Instead, it had a delicate-looking flower-frame made of red kryptonite as a pendant. Rory picked it up, noting how the lack of petals made it seem much more graceful and pretty.

"I'll take this one," she decided.

Less than a minute later, she left the shop. Showing it to Clark, she said, "See, isn't it pretty?"

"Very," he replied shortly. "Do you want to put them on now?"

"Why not?"

"On the count of three. One, two-"

"Wait, wait. Are we going on three, or after three?"

"What?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Is it gonna be one two _three, _or one two three _go."_

"The first one, okay? One, two, three!"

Clark slipped the ring onto his middle finger as Rory put the necklace around her neck, flicking the catch open and closed at superspeed.

Rory closed her eyes, inhaling in surprise at how... _free _she felt.

"Why didn't you ever tell me red K felt like _this_, Clark?" she asked playfully. Suddenly everything felt completely different – like a game, but completely and deadly serious. A game that she and her brother would win.

Clark grinned at her and said, "Shall we?"

"I thought reading minds was _my _power, brother dearest," she replied, smiling back devilishly.

They supersped away, never minding their audience – no one was watching anyway.

* * *

**Kent Farm  
**Clark walked out to the motorcycle on which his sister was currently leaning.

"Finally," she said, stretching it out. "You took forever."

He looked her over. "You're gonna wear that?"

She was wearing long dark jeans, black boots that came up to her knees, a deep red shirt that matched the red kryptonite in her new necklace and a long black coat over the top, plus a pair of black sunglasses.

"What?" she shrugged. "I like black. It's awesome. Besides, the black sunglasses thing makes me look all FBI."

"Clark, where are you going?"

Clark walked over to a bale of hay, grabbing his leather jacket. "Away from here."

"The Clark Kent I know wouldn't run away from his problems," Lana said, walking towards him.

Clark put the jacket on and walked back towards the motorcycle. "The Clark Kent you know is a lie."

Rory yawned. "Should I give you two some privacy?" she said casually.

"It's not like you could, Rors."

"Still."

Rory pulled out an iPod, sticking the headphones in her ears and starting to listen to the music.

Lana looked back to Clark from this strange display. "Why won't you let me in?" she asked plaintively.

"Because, Lana, you won't like what you see," he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Lana came up beside him and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her.

"I am not giving up on you," she said passionately, her voice and face steely.

"No one can save me," he said softly. "Not even you."

"Your parents need you," Lana said, starting to cry.

Rory sang softly under her breath.

"I need you," Lana whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Clark looked away painfully.

"Rory needs me more."

Lana pulled his face back to hers. "I love you, Clark," she breathed.

A remnant of the real Clark came back to the surface at these words.

"I love you too... more than you will ever know," Clark replied softly. "That's why I have to leave."

He glanced at the motorcycle and Rory. For a moment, he considered asking her to come with him.

But, firstly there wasn't any room on the bike, and secondly, he had Rory. He didn't need anyone so long as he had his sister with him.

"Smallville's your home," Lana said persuasively.

Clark shook his head and put on the sunglasses.

"Not anymore."

Rory pulled the headphones out of her ears, stashing the iPod in her pocket as Clark climbed onto the bike. She climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Clark started the bike and drove away, leaving Lana in the middle of the dirt road, crying.

* * *

Clark and Rory sped down the road, the same expression of fierce determination on their faces.

_"You will obey me, my children."_

The twins ignored the voice. In fact, Clark floored the motorcycle in response, making it go as fast as it could.

They were going to leave their past behind and make a new life for themselves, in a place that was big enough that they couldn't be found easily, but was close enough to home that no one would suspect they were staying there – so long as they didn't draw attention to themselves.

Metropolis.

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**A/N Alright, I'm leaving on Thursday, which is the day after tomorrow, and I won't be back for a while. But I hope you like this chapter, cause I do. Oh, before I forget.**

**Question 2: Who is your favourite character on Smallville and why? If you watch Supernatural, your favourite character from it too. If you don't watch Supernatural, you should – it's a great show.**

**Something else... yeah, writing red kryptonite Rory is FUN. Seriously, I'm gonna find a way to put more red K Clark-and-Rory, cause it just rocks. In case you were wondering, the reason Clark keeps talking just about himself to Jonathan is because he doesn't want him to blame Rory, so he's trying to take all the blame himself if that makes sense.  
**

**Thanks for reading!****  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	24. Between Exodus and Exile

**A/N Just some filler here to make up for my long vacation...**

* * *

**Between Exodus and Exile – Twenty-Fourth Chapter  
**"It'll do," Rory said, surveying the apartment. It had two king-sized beds, both with silk blue sheets, a plasma TV, stereo system on the wall and lots of other irrelevant stuff.

"You sure you got enough dough ta pay for this? Charity don't pay the bills," said the guy who owned the place.

"Here."

Clark handed the guy a roll of fifty dollar notes.

"That should cover this month's rent, shouldn't it?"

"Thank you, sir, and I hope you and your sister have a wonderful stay here in Metropolis," he said cheerfully, bowing and leaving.

"I'll be right back, Clark," Rory said, shrugging her coat back on quickly.

"Where are you going, Rory?"

"I need a change," she called as she left.

* * *

**Hairdressers  
**"So what would you like done?" asked the bubbly young hairdresser.

Rory smiled at her reflection. "I want it chin-length, and all flippy at the edges, if you know what I mean."

"Of course I do," she said with a laugh.

* * *

**However much longer later...  
**Rory stared at herself in the mirror. She looked... still recognisable, but nothing like her old, sweet-candy-sugar small-town self.

"Perfect," she smiled, revealing pearly-white straight teeth.

She paid the hairdresser and left, enjoying the feeling of her newly-lightened hair.

* * *

**The apartment  
**Rory walked inside, waiting for Clark to look up and see her. He was watching television, and said casually, "So, you're back."

"Uh-huh."

"Where'd you go?"

"Why not see for yourself?"

There was a pause, then Clark looked at her. She grinned at him, relishing the brief surprise that had passed over his face.

"You got your hair cut," he said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious, I didn't notice."

He smiled at her. "It looks nice."

"Thank you," she said quietly, smiling back.

* * *

**Some club, a month later  
**"And tonight, is karaoke night! Remember, we'll be picking a random audience member to sing any song they like in just five minutes..."

Rory tuned out the man talking excitedly on stage. Glancing around, she searched the room for her brother.

He hadn't arrived yet, however, and she sighed, bored out of her brain.

"And tonight's karaoke singer is..."

A light shone in her eyes suddenly. Blinking, she tried to work out what was going on. A roar was going up around her and she _still_ couldn't see!

"And there's our lucky lady! Someone bring her up here, quick..."

Someone, no, several someones, grabbed her arms and pulled her towards the stage. Her vision clearing, she realised that she had somehow been picked for karaoke.

_Great. Just great. Freakin' wonderful!_

"So what's your name, pretty lady?" asked the karaoke guy excitedly.

She smiled, working out a way to have some fun with this. "Kara."

"Kara! That's a nice name. What would you like to sing tonight?"

Rory leaned forward and whispered a song name, and the band that sang it in his ear. He grinned 

appreciatively and nodded.

"Nice choice! I'll just notify the sound system guys and stuff – you wait here."

Staring out at the crowd, she picked out a few random people – a pretty blonde girl laughing and chatting with friends, an angry guy talking quietly to a girl, a hot guy sitting at the bar staring into his drink.

"Alright, here's a mike, you ready to sing?"

The karaoke guy had returned. She nodded, taking the mike that he was thrusting into her hand.

As the opening riff started, she prepared herself, and when she recognised her cue she lifted the mike to her mouth and started to sing.

* * *

**Same place, same time, one difference.**

* * *

Dean stared into his drink. _It's been weeks, and I still haven't heard from Dad. Not to mention I've been looking for a while now. I need some help. But who?_

He mentally scrolled through a list of people that could help. Sighing impatiently, he muttered, "Yeah, I got jack."

A song he recognised started to play. Looking up at the stage, he saw a pretty blonde girl, preparing to sing karaoke.

"Oh, this oughta be good," he said to himself.

_Why, you wanna tell me how to live my life?_

Wow. This chick could actually sing.  
_  
Who, are you to tell me if it's black or white?  
Mama, can you hear me? Try to understand.  
Is innocence the difference between a boy and a man.  
My daddy lived the lie, it's just the price that he paid.  
Sacrificed his life, just slavin' away._

_Ohhh, if there's one thing I hang onto,  
That gets me through the night.  
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to,  
I'm gonna live my life._

_Shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice,  
Standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly.  
_

_When the world gets in my face,  
I say, have a nice day._

_Have a nice day_.

Dean tried to concentrate on the issue at hand. The problem was, he knew exactly what he had to do – he just didn't like it.

He had to get his brother Sam to help him.

_Take a look around you; nothing's what it seems  
We're living in the broken home of hopes and dreams,  
Let me be the first to shake a helping hand.  
Anybody brave enough to take a stand,  
I've knocked on every door, on every dead end street,  
Looking for forgiveness,  
What's left to believe?_

The problem was, Sam had given up hunting to have a normal life. He wanted to go to law school, become a lawyer, marry his girlfriend Jessica, have kids, and die peacefully in his sleep.

Not hunt demons, ghosts, werewolves and other supernatural beings until one day one of them finally got the upper hand and killed him.

Well, hey, neither did Dean, but he didn't have a choice – he had to find the thing that had killed their mother, and get his revenge.

But then what? Dean sometimes asked himself. He didn't have any other talents. Hunting was the only thing he was good at. So what was he supposed to do when whatever had killed his mother was dead?

_Take it one step at a time, _Dean thought. _Don't get ahead of yourself._

_Ohhh, if there's one thing I hang onto,  
That gets me through the night.  
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to,  
I'm gonna live my life._

_Shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice,  
Standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly.  
When the world gets in my face,  
I say, have a nice day._

_Have a nice day.  
_

The song's guitar solo began as Dean considered his idea. Getting Sam would be helpful, as Sam had the school smarts to balance Dean's street smarts. Plus, Sam was a good hunter when he wanted to be – a definite plus.

_Ohhh, if there's one thing I hang onto,  
That gets me through the night.  
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to,  
I'm gonna live my life._

_Shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice,  
Standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly.  
When the world gets in my face,  
I say, have a nice day._

_Have a nice day.  
Have a nice day.  
Have a nice day.  
Have a nice day._

Dean sang along with the next lines quietly.  
_  
When the world keeps trying, to drag me down,  
I've gotta raise my hands, gonna stand my ground.  
Well I say, have a nice day.  
Have a nice day._

Dean drained his glass and held it up in a toast, saying with a smile:  
_  
Have a nice day._

He left, intent on finding his brother and, with his help, his father, and with their help, the monster that had killed his mother.

* * *

**Same time, same place, one more difference.**

* * *

Chloe was having a great time in Metropolis. Her new friends from the _Daily Planet _were really great, and had offered to bring her to this club.

"I'll get you a drink, okay?" said one of them. Chloe nodded and she left.

Chloe looked around during the momentary lull, trying to find the reason behind the stop in music. She looked up at the stage and saw a vaguely familiar girl with short, choppy blonde hair. Squinting at her, trying to work out who it was, she gasped when she finally recognised her.

It was Rory.

That was her, alright, same white teeth, visible from miles away, same curvy body, same fashion sense – if a little more out there. The only difference was her hair.

_And the Kents don't know she's here, either, or she _definitely _wouldn't be in a notorious Metropolis nightclub._

Chloe decided to wait til Rory had sung her song, then confront her.

"Hey, Clo!"

Chloe took one last look at her best friend, then went to join her new one.

* * *

**After Rory has finished singing  
**Rory scanned the crowd, looking for Clark, as she descended the stairs to the floor of the nightclub. Spotting him near the bar, she sauntered over to him.

"There you are, Clark."

"Hey Rory," he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Took you long enough to get here."

Ignoring this, he nodded at the stage. "Saw you singing. You're good, you know."

"Spoken like a true brother," she drawled, "which, of course, you are."

"Rory! Rory, is that really you?!"

Rory recognised the voice instantly. She turned with a scowl on her face to see Chloe behind her.

"What the _hell _are you doing here?" she asked furiously.

"I could ask you the same thing," Chloe returned, not showing her sudden, unfounded fear. "Your parents are worried about you! And here you are, partying it up in Metropolis."

"So are you," Rory shot back.

"Yes, but _my _father knows where I am," Chloe retorted. "Lana cries all the time now, for you as well as Clark. You're her best friend – did you think you could just leave that behind?"

Rory smiled, sending chills down Chloe's spine. "I _did _leave that behind, Chloe. I'm not the Rory you knew anymore – I'm finally who I truly am."

"You've changed," Chloe said quietly, the music almost drowning her out.

"Haven't we all," Clark interjected, deciding it was high time he announced his presence. "Hi, Chloe. Long time no see, eh?"

Chloe stared at him, shocked, and Rory said irritably, "Oh, don't even try to pretend you're actually surprised, Chloe. Surely you knew that Clark and I stick together, no matter what?"

"Well, you just basically said that everything changes," Chloe argued.

Rory's smile returned. "Not everything, honey."

"Well, I'm going to tell your parents where you are," Chloe said defiantly.

Rory's cheerfulness was gone in an instant. "Tell anyone where we are," she said coldly, "and you won't live to regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" Chloe asked, outraged.

"Yes, actually, I am. Tell anyone, _anyone, _if anyone from our old life turns up, you will be held personally responsible, and you will pay the price," Rory said, her eyes frighteningly void of emotion.

Chloe nodded fearfully and backed away, finally turning and almost running away.

"Well," Clark spoke up after a pause. "That was _subtle, _Rors."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

**A/N There ya go, that's your filler, happy birthday to Ratdogtwo!  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**

**Question 3: Who's your least favourite Smallville character and why? Include Supernatural if you watch it.**_  
_


	25. Exile Part 1

**Exile – Chapter Twenty-Five**  
**One month after Chloe found them  
**Rory danced to the music with a wild abandon. Ever since leaving Smallville, it had been her favourite thing – to find a cool club, sneak in and just let herself go with the music. Most of the time Clark ended up at the same one – they couldn't help the fact they were connected, and the red kryptonite had somehow intensified that connection.

The song finished and Rory swung away from the crowd, walking over to the bar to get a drink. She saw Clark standing near the bar also, a pretty blonde girl all over him.

Rolling her eyes, she made it there and watched them, waiting for the inevitable. They were currently making out.

Rory glanced at the bartender, a guy she knew and made a gagging motion to him while indicating the couple. He laughed, nodding back.

"What is that?" she heard over the music. She turned back to Clark and his hook-up, who had found the scar.

Rory grinned, settling in to watch the show. _This oughta be good, _she thought with relish. Clark never got rid of his girls in the same way twice.

"It's a birthmark," was Clark's casual reply to the question.

She ran her hand over his chest. "It's pretty big for a birthmark."

Clark grabbed her arm violently. "_Don't_ touch."

"Ow!"

Scowling, the woman yanked her arm away from him. "That hurt!"

She walked off in a huff, muttering, "Jerk."

Rory slipped off her seat and walked quickly over to him.

"That was boring_, Kal,_" Rory emphasised his fake name.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Next time, I'll dump them in a more interesting way, hmm?" Clark said caustically.

"That'd be great, thanks _Kal_," Rory said innocently, patting his arm.

"Any preferences?" Clark asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, actually, I really liked that time when you told that chick that you heard voices," retorted Rory laughingly.

Clark snorted. _Only cause it's true._

_Exactly, _she agreed.

"So what's the deal, Kal?" the bartender asked. "Every night you roll in here with a babe, but you always leave empty-handed."

Clark didn't reply, and the guy said jokingly, "What are you, a monk or something?"

"What's the point of starting something if it's just gonna end badly?" Clark asked darkly.

"See, that's another area where I'm smarter then you, Clark. I never even try to start anything," Rory told him, smiling annoyingly.

Clark shook his head at her and dropped a 100 bill on the bar.

* * *

**Outside Atlantis (the club), later that night  
**Rory sauntered across the street – this was another feeling she loved, the feeling of being completely in control of who she was and what she did.

Except -

The pain lancing through her abdomen made her gasp in pain and double over, wrapping her arms around her stomach as if to hold herself together.

Worse still was the fact that Clark felt the same pain, so all of his pain was coming through the almost-always open connection, quadrupling the pain she could feel.

Clark stumbled into a nearby phone booth, Rory following him blindly. As soon as she reached it, she sank down against the side of it, fumbling for her necklace – this had happened before, and she knew how to stop it.

Clark fought it longer than she did, however, ripping his shirt open, writhing in pain, finally falling to the floor of the phone booth and pulling the ring off. He rolled over, breathing heavily and luxuriating in the feeling of relief.

"Clark?"

He looked up at the door of the booth. Rory stared at him, her eyes wild and her hair messy.

Clark looked back to the telephone.

Seconds later, the twins stood crammed into the telephone box. Clark held the phone between them 

so that both of them could hear. Both had the same excited, anticipating but still pained expression on their face.

The phone rang, once, twice, three times -

"Hello?"

Rory closed her eyes, holding on to her mother's voice like it was a lifeline and she drowning in the sea. Breathing softly, aware that Clark was listening just as intently as she was, she wished for Martha to say something, anything else.

"Clark? Rory?" Martha asked, her voice gentle and hopeful. "Is that you?"

Still neither of them said anything, and Martha said softly, sadly, "Please come home."

They waited a moment longer, then, unable to bear it any longer, Clark hung up.

Rory was already putting the necklace to her neck as Clark turned. In an instant, both had gone back to being a part of themselves that was rarely seen.

Back to being free.

* * *

**A couple of days later  
**Rory grinned devilishly at Clark. "Ready to roll?"

"You had to ask?" he replied, grinning back.

"Seriously, Clark, we gotta work on that. I mean, can you _say _cliché?" Rory prattled on.

Clark climbed onto the motorbike, pulling the ski mask over his head at the same time. "Hop on."

Rory slid on behind him, dragging her own ski mask over her head.

"God, I love having short hair," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist as he floored it.

Speeding through the streets, Clark asked Rory, _See anything good?_

_No, but there's a place I know... _

She gave him the directions mind-to-mind, and he sped up a little.

_What kind of dramatic entrance shall we make this time, sister dearest?_

Rory grinned. _I know just the one..._

* * *

Sally MacDougal was a secretary working at a big, important bank. It was a pretty good job – good pay, good hours, good employers and the people who worked with her were great.

There was just one hazard, though.

"Everyone on the floor now!" yelled one of the men. About five minutes ago, these guys had run in wearing hideous, almost demonic clown masks and wielding guns. They'd shut the whole bank down – nobody could get out or in.

They were here for money, obviously, grabbing as many bank notes as they could find and putting them in big bags.

"Stay down!" another man yelled at a guy near Sally. "Face down! Hit the floor!"

A security guard crawled up behind him, trying to attack him using surprise. The thief turned and shot him, and Sally screamed and cringed away, covering her head.

Suddenly, a big, black motorcycle crashed through a nearby window. It swerved to a stop not far from Sally, knocking over one of the thieves.

A man and a woman rode the bike. Sally thought, for a split second, _Our salvation?_

The woman snickered and turned to look at her. "Not quite, honey!"

Both of them wore ski masks and were dressed all in black. The man wore a ring with a red gem on his finger, while the woman wore a necklace with the outline of a flower in the same red crystal-like material.

"Shoot the bastards!" shouted one of the clown-men.

Another one obeyed him, opening fire on the two people. Sally saw, impossibly, that they were dodging the bullets, moving faster than she could see. Not only that, but the man appeared to be knocking the bullets away with his hands – there wasn't even a scratch on him!

Then they disappeared.

Sally blinked, and heard an unfamiliar male voice.

"Stick to balloon animals."

She turned towards it, her mouth dropping open when she saw the man and woman standing behind the thief that had shot them. The man opened his fist, and several compressed bullets fell to the floor.

The man then threw the thief across the room as if he weighed nothing. Sally's mind couldn't handle the impossibilities any longer and it shut down. She slumped to the side, blissfully unconscious.

Rory turned her attention to one of the clowns, who was standing at a desk holding a bag of money. _The clown masks are appropriate, _she thought disdainfully, _these guys suck at this._

The man raised the gun and Rory instantly raised a forcefield in front of her. He started to shoot at her. She smirked and just kept coming.

Grabbing him by the neck, she said sweetly, "Sorry, Krusty. We saw the bank first."

She lifted him over the desk and threw him to the floor. Picking up the bag of money, she saw that Clark had disposed of the rest of them and grabbed several bags of money.

"So kind of you to do our work for us," Clark told one of the unconscious men.

"We outbound?" Rory asked.

Clark nodded and together they walked towards the door.

What they didn't see was that the clown on the floor behind them pulled off his mask to watch them go in wonder. There was a very distinctive tattoo on the side of his face.

Clark stopped suddenly at the door.

_Clark, what?_ Rory asked.

_Maybe you should take the bike back. I don't want to lose it, and the cops have guns out there._

_I can take care of the guns, Clark._

_I know, but there's still the matter of the bike. You want us to lose it?_

Rory sighed, knowing he was right. _Fine. But you take all the money, got it?_

_Done._

Rory turned, walking quickly back to the bike and swinging on. She wheeled it round and sped towards the back of the bank, where several glass door stood leading to a back street.

Hearing sirens and seeing flashing lights, she revved the bike and floored it, going as fast as she could towards the doors.

Rory smashed through them, her clothes protecting her for the most part. A police helicopter wheeled overhead, but it was paying attention to the front of the bank.

Clark had just walked outside, and _everyone _was paying attention to that. Rory grinned, murmuring to herself, "God, I love my brother."

Speeding through the streets, she yanked off the ski mask one-handed, ripping it apart with her powers and letting the pieces fall onto the road.

Rory changed the colour of her clothes until she was wearing dark blue jeans and a white top with her black jacket over the top, unchanged.

Merging with the traffic, she knew that she had just made the perfect getaway.

* * *

**The Kent Farm, the next night  
**"Their crimes just keep getting bigger and bigger," Pete told Jonathan and Martha. Jonathan held an issue of the Daily Planet with a headline that read, 'Masked Duo Continue to Rampage Metropolis'.

"We can't be sure it's them," Martha said defensively.

"Look," Pete said sympathetically, "I know you don't want to believe, but... it's definitely them." There was a pause, then Pete asked, "What are we gonna do?"

"There isn't really anything-" Martha began.

Jonathan interrupted her, saying to Pete, "Yeah. You get in the truck. I'm gonna get my coat."

Jonathan left the room and Pete started to follow him. Martha stopped Pete, putting her hand on his arm, then followed her husband.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice challenging him.

Jonathan turned to face her. "I'm going to get them," he said defiantly.

"They know what red kryptonite does. They can take it off at any time," Martha reminded him.

"Martha, I don't know that," Jonathan said, almost pleading with her.

"Jonathan, the phone calls," Martha said gently but firmly. "They're the first step."

"I can't just sit around this farmhouse and do nothing anymore!" Jonathan almost yelled, his frustration getting the better of him.

"Well, even if you find them, how do you plan on bringing them home?" Martha retorted. Her voice getting softer, she continued, "It's been three months. We've been searching all that time. We filed a missing persons report, we have done everything we can."

"Martha-"

"The fact is they don't want to be found," Martha said loudly, talking over the top of him. Holding onto his shoulders, she said to him quietly, "They'll come home to us when they're ready. We just have to have faith, okay?"

"Yeah," Jonathan whispered.

* * *

**Clark and Rory's apartment, the next day  
**Rory lay in her bed, satin sheets covering her body. She was drifting in that point between sleep and consciousness, that point when you're aware of everything but not aware that you're aware of it all.

Suddenly, she heard the door open. All her senses went on red alert and she immediately created a force field to protect herself.

She could hear that two people had entered. One had gone to Clark's bed, while the other was standing at the foot of her own.

The silence was broken by the sound of guns firing. Rory lay motionless, asking Clark, _You thinking what I'm thinking?_

_Only if you're thinking scare the shit out of them, _Clark replied mercilessly.

_Exactly, _Rory agreed.

Rory felt something poke her side. She moved with precision, flinging the blankets off herself and grabbing the guy by the neck.

She threw him across the room and two thuds sounded just seconds after one another, Clark having thrown his attacker too.

One of the guys had a big tattoo down one side of his face.

The twins stood up, Clark playing with the ring on his finger as he asked coldly, "Who sent you?"

"I did."

A well-dressed and obviously rich middle-aged man walked up to them. He wore glasses and had white hair.

"Morgan Edge," the man smiled, holding out his hand to shake. Both twins ignored it as Clark reached for a shirt, pulling it over his head.

"That's a hell of a scar," Edge noted. "How'd you get it?"

"Our dad's a real bastard," Rory replied emotionlessly. "What do you want?"

Clark sat on a couch and Rory sat next to him, both appearing relaxed but actually poised and ready for anything.

"You two came to my club flashing money," Edge said, getting straight down to business, "and then you interrupt my guys at the bank. I take it that was not coincidence."

Clark laughed and Rory grinned. "Those clowns?" Clark said derisively. "They work for you?"

"You've both made quite a reputation for yourselves," Edge said, the interest in his voice just barely concealed. "I set up this... test so I could see with my own eyes if you were man or myth. And clearly, you're both."

"Well. I'm glad we could clear that up for you... Morgan," Rory said mockingly.

"I'd like to talk about a job opportunity," Edge said, ignoring her disdainful tone.

It was Clark who spoke this time. "Thanks, but we're really not looking for work at the moment."

"We like to fly solo," Rory explained.

Edge sat down and said darkly, "No matter how many bullets bounce off you and your brother, Kara, you two are still just kids, and I'm the biggest crime boss in Metropolis."

"Well, I would think you could afford better help," Rory jibed, glancing over at their attackers who were only just getting off the ground.

"That's why we're talking," Edge said, ready to hook them on his plan. "I got this one job. It'll make you two Midas rich." He paused for a moment, attempting to evaluate their reactions. "So when you're tired of playing little league? You know where to find me."

He stood and left, his goons hurrying out after him. Clark and Rory pondered his proposal, neither saying anything to the other.

* * *

**Lex's funeral, the next day  
**Lana stood with Jonathan and Martha, wearing black clothes. The three of them weren't just mourning Lex's death, however – they were also mourning the disappearance of Clark and Rory.

"I think the cruellest fate a parent can suffer is to lose a child," Lionel Luthor said, standing beside a big tombstone with the name Lex Luthor etched into it.

_Poor Mr and Mrs Kent, _Lana thought, _to lose not just one child, but both of them._

"Lex was touched with greatness..." Lionel's voice trailed off as Lana got the feeling that someone was watching her.

Turning around, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Clark and Rory stood at the back of the group of people, both listening intently and sombrely. They both wore black clothes and stood very close to one another.

Rory's hair was cut short and flippy, and seemed to have several black streaks in it – not at all like Lana remembered it.

_Maybe...maybe that means it's not a hallucination. Maybe it's real._

Lana started to edge her way through the crowd, trying to be subtle, trying not to get her hopes up. Unable to help herself, she pushed eagerly through the last row, then stood, silent.

Clark and Rory had disappeared.

* * *

**Clark and Rory's apartment, later that day  
**The twins rode the elevator up to their penthouse apartment, neither one talking and both looking pensive.

The elevator dinged and as the door open, Rory saw the last person she'd expected looking through their window, turning when she heard the elevator sound.

"Guys, I need to talk to you about-" Chloe began, coming towards them.

Rory walked forward quickly, her face vicious. "I thought I told you never to come back here again." Her voice was a complete contrast to her face, soft and sickly sweet. "Who else know we're here?"

"No one," Chloe said, trying not to show her irrational fear – and it _was _irrational, she was sure of that. Rory would never really hurt her. "Your secret's safe with me, but we need to talk."

Rory glanced at Clark and indicated Chloe with her head. _You deal with her._

Following Rory into the apartment, Clark said in a monotone, "We're busy."

"Well I'm coming in," Chloe said, anger taking over. She followed them inside, saying, "Now what's the deal with you two? You come to Metropolis and you're both completely different people!"

"Maybe these are the real us," Clark said darkly, as he so often did nowadays.

"Well, if it is, then I definitely prefer the country Clark-and-Rory," Chloe said caustically, looking around. "How did you afford all of this?"

"Why, Chloe?" Clark asked angrily. "So you can put us in your column and write a big story about us? Maybe that's why you kept our secret."

"I kept your secret because you asked me too," Chloe fought back aggressively. "I was hoping that if I left you alone, you'd both get a grip and come home. Cause there are people in Smallville who haven't given up the search."

"We've erased Smallville from our past," Rory said, Clark sitting down next to her.

"Really?" Chloe asked. "Is that why _he's _still wearing the school ring?"

Clark touched the ring, and Chloe continued, almost smugly, "Sooner or later, someone else is gonna find you."

Rory looked at her. Chloe couldn't help but notice how eerie it was when Rory did that – opening her bright blue eyes wide. It made her look like an innocent child, and yet at the same time, one could see the danger hidden right at the back of them.

"You were lucky," she said dangerously.

Summoning all her courage, Chloe rebutted, "Maybe so. But what will you do if one day Lana shows up on your doorstep, or your dad? How are you gonna explain this to them?"

Rory stood suddenly. "We are _through _explaining ourselves to _anybody!_"

"Rory," Chloe pleaded, "Lana is a wreck and your parents are losing the farm!"

"What do we care?" Rory asked ruthlessly. Walking across the room, she said, "We're never going back, anyway."

"Rory, Clark," Chloe tried to get through to her friends. "You were not forced into exile – either of you. You ran away from your problems." There was no response and Chloe yelled, angry and proud, "You are not being noble, you are being cowards!"

Rory felt the first jolting pain shoot through her stomach. It took all of her self-control not to simply topple over, but instead she turned and walked towards Chloe, her face frightening in its' anger and pain.

"Chloe, get out!" she yelled at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her towards the door. "If you tell anyone where we are-"

"You'll kill me?" Chloe asked, raising her voice. "I remember your threat, Rory, and I don't think you've got it in you!"

"Maybe not," Rory said, her voice poisonous, "but I will make sure we both leave, and go so far away 

that _no one _will _ever _find us!"

Chloe yanked out of her grip. "I don't even know who you are anymore!" she shouted furiously.

"Get out!" Rory screamed in her face, the pain doubling her rage.

Chloe left and Rory slammed the door shut behind her. Turning back towards Clark she fell to the ground, ripping her shirt open to reveal a white bra and the scar, glowing on her abdomen.

Not concentrating on Clark who was attempting to pull off the ring, she scrabbled at the necklace, not bothering with the catch.

Finally managing to wrench it off, the pain stopped abruptly and she lay on the floor, breathing heavily.

Looking for her brother, she saw him lying in a similar position. When her eyes met him, she could see the fear in them.

_Don't worry, _she wanted to tell him. But she still hurt so badly she couldn't muster the energy.

Rory let her head drop to the floor, closing her eyes.

* * *

**A/N Sorry for not updating as soon as I almost-promised... :o( But I'm back! So yeah. I am back at school though, so I'll be busy a lot, but I really love your reviews! They make me all happy. :o)**

**It's kinda weird, but nobody seems to like Lana – the answer for the last question was pretty much 'Lana' from everyone! Here's the next question.**

**Question 4:  
For girls: If you were Rory, which Winchester brother would you choose (when they appear, of course).**

**For guys: If you were one of the Winchesters, which Smallville girl would you choose?**

**I already know which Winchester goes with which girl and such... but I wanna know what you think! If you have any ideas for questions, send them to me, and I shall update ASAP.  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**

**PS Rory put black streaks in her hair in honour of Lex, and she did it with her powers so she can take it out whenever she likes.**

**PPS Sorry about the long AN!**


	26. Exile Part 2

**Exile – Chapter Twenty-Six  
Kent Farm, night  
**Clark and Rory walked into the loft, looking around. Everything had been packed into brown boxes, one of which was labelled 'Clark and Rory's loft'.

Slowly walking up the stairs, drinking in the familiarity of the place where they had spent a lot of their life, they looked around, feeling safe.

Clark paused near an open box. Reaching inside, he pulled out a framed picture of himself, Rory, Jonathan and Martha, all looking very happy.**  
**  
Suddenly, they both heard a voice that set them on edge – their mother's.

"I spoke to the bank," Martha said. "They still want us out before the auction."

Without communicating, Clark and Rory drew off to the side, hiding instinctively from their parents. Peeking over the banister, they were able to see that Jonathan and Martha were packing cardboard boxes into the truck, completely oblivious to their presence.

"You know, it's amazing how you can fit your whole life into the back of a pickup truck," Jonathan remarked, trying to keep the mood up.

Martha smiled sadly, appreciating the attempt. "Is, uh, Bill Ross still okay with us storing our stuff in his garage?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said as long as we needed it, it's fine with him," Jonathan sighed.

"Oh, Lana gave me the keys to the apartment over the Talon," Martha remembered. She pulled the keys from her pocket and handed them to Jonathan.

"Great," Jonathan murmured quietly.

"Yeah, it-it's small," Martha said, her breath hitching in her throat.

She began to sob and Jonathan put his arms around her.

"It's okay, Martha," he whispered comfortingly. "Martha, Martha..."

"It's just not fair," she said brokenly, between sobs. "This farm has been in your family for three generations, four including Clark and R-Rory."

"It's sad," Jonathan said quietly.

Clark and Rory continued to listen quietly, unable to walk away.

"Since when have our lives been fair anyway, huh?" Jonathan asked her rhetorically. They sat down on the back of the truck.

"You remember the day we found out we couldn't have children?" Jonathan asked her. "You grabbed my hand, and you told me not to worry. You said that we would have happy days again, and you were right."

His voice grew softer as he continued, "We have had happy days with Clark, and Rory. But even though they aren't here with us anymore, I am here to tell you, Martha Kent, that we will have happy days again."

Martha continued to cry as she leaned over and kissed her husband.

Clark and Rory glanced at one another, coming to the same conclusion. They both made to leave but Clark bumped the picture he had pulled out just before and it fell to the ground.

The twins both stopped, looking at each other then down at the picture frame.

"Clark! Rory!" they heard Martha yell.

Turning towards the window the twins supersped to it immediately. Clark grabbed Rory in his arms then jumped out the window, putting her down gently the instant his feet hit the ground.

They supersped down the road, not turning back as their mother called their names tearfully.

* * *

**A few days later, the apartment  
**Lana peered through the window of the apartment. She was sure this was the right one – the address Chloe had given her matched.

But nobody was home.

She turned and started down the stairs, thinking about where she should look next. The problem was, Clark and Rory had both changed drastically according to Chloe, so Lana didn't know where the new Kents would go.

The sound of a motor broke through her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see a motorcycle driving up. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the driver.

Lana ran down the stairs, stopping in front of the motorcycle and forcing it to stop, too.

"What are you doing here?" the driver asked in a dangerous tone.

"Looking for you," Lana said, lifting her chin stubbornly. Changing her tone to slightly pleading, she said, "Clark, you need to come home."

"Smallville's not my home anymore," Clark said back coldly.

Lana stared at him. "Where's Rory?"

"Elsewhere," Clark replied coolly. Lana continued to glare at him, and he reiterated, "I don't know. But I'll find her, tonight." He smiled. "We always do."

His tone and face grew hard as he said, "Now, if you don't mind, you're in my way."

Lana looked at him for a long moment, then took a step closer to him.

"I am not letting you ride out of my life again," she said intensely.

Clark stared back at her for another long moment.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Then get on."

* * *

**Atlantis (Edge's club), not too long after  
**Clark pulled Lana by the hand through the crowd of people dancing to the music that pulsed through the air. She looked around nervously and a young waitress walked past.

"Hey! What's up Kal?" she greeted Clark. Clark acknowledged her with a flick of his head and kept moving.

"Why'd she call you Kal?" Lana yelled over the music.

"It's my secret identity," Clark called back, smiling.

Lana stopped abruptly, turning him to face her.

"Clark! I have been worried about you for three months and you've been hanging out in _nightclubs?_" Lana yelled angrily, glad that the music was so loud she had an excuse to yell.

Clark grinned at her, not at all irked by her outburst. "You're so cute when you're angry," he said mischievously. He turned and pulled her to the bar.

"Lana, if you keep talking about Hicksville, you're gonna be on the next bus back," he threatened light-heartedly. "Now, I thought you were here to have some fun."

"What's up, Kal?"

Lana turned to see a strange man, evidently the bartender grinning at Clark.

"Hey, what's up," Clark said back, shaking his hand and continuing into a series of elaborate movements, ending in a snap.

"Kara's over there," the bartender said, jerking his head to the side before walking away.

"Kara?" Lana asked, puzzled. "She another new friend of yours?"

Clark laughed and said back, "No, this one you'll recognise."

"Hey, Kal-El!" Rory dropped into the seat next to Clark. "How you..."

Her voice trailed off as she recognized Lana. Eyes narrowed, she said through clenched teeth, "Clark..."

Lana didn't notice her expression however, she just smiled and said to Clark, "You were right. I'm sorry. I'll go freshen up."

She got up and Clark reached for her arm, stopping her.

"Hey, why?" he asked. Smiling sweetly and cockily, he said, "I think you look great."

He leaned in and kissed her passionately. Rory rolled her eyes and looked away, crossing her arms angrily.

Clark finally pulled away, took a deep breath then murmured seriously, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," Lana replied huskily. She stepped away into the crowd.

"Yeah, well, I sure as hell didn't," Rory muttered sulkily.

"What's the matter with you?" Clark asked good-naturedly.

"I cannot _believe _you're still hung up on her, Clark!" Rory exploded. "I mean, it would take me hours to explain your history to a stranger, but the only times you've ever hooked up have been because of red K or other meteor stuff!"

"That's not true, Rors," Clark replied, still agreeable. "We got together just before the accident, and besides, I think you're just jealous."

"And so what if I am?" Rory shot back. "It's kinda weird to watch your brother hook up with your best girlfriend."

"That's not what I meant, Rory," Clark said gently.

"We are not having this conversation on red K," Rory hissed at him.

Their conversation was interrupted by the return of the bartender, who had seen Lana leave.

"If she's the one you've been saving yourself for, Kal..." he said with a grin, "I can understand the wait."

Rory scowled.

"Oh, don't worry sweetheart, I still think you're much prettier," he said with a laugh, noticing her expression.

Rory smiled and said sweetly, "Aw, thanks, Ben."

Turning back to the crowd, she called, "But I'm still not gonna go out with you!"

Twirling a strand of hair listlessly, she scanned the minds around her for anything interesting.

_He's being such a jerk tonight..._

_Man, that chick is HOT!_

_I wonder if I..._

_...my number..._

The thoughts slowly faded into a confusing babble as Rory closed her eyes and sighed.

Suddenly, she came across a familiar mind voice – Lana's.

Rory decided to listen in.

_"Hello?" came a familiar voice through the phone's speakers._

_"Mr. Kent, I found Clark and Rory," Lana said._

Rory gasped. That bitch!

_"Lana, where are you?" Jonathan asked instantly._

_"A nightclub in Metropolis called Atlantis. Clark's acting really strange," Lana told him, fear in her voice._

_"What about Rory? How is she?" Jonathan asked._

_"I don't know – she looked at me kind of weirdly the only time I've seen her here."_

_"Lana, listen to me. They are not themselves right now," Jonathan warned her seriously._

"Ro- Kara? Kara, are you okay?" Clark asked her, concerned.

Rory replayed the conversation for him quickly, watching as his jaw set firmly and his eyes burned with anger.

_"I want you to be very careful," Jonathan continued. "Now I'm on my way down there, but if either of them want to leave, I don't want you to try and stop them."_

_"Okay," Lana replied._

Rory said to Clark in a blur, "Hurry!"

They both leaped up and supersped until they stood behind her. Clark assumed a cavalier grin to mask his feelings, but Rory didn't care about appearances anymore – the red Kryptonite affected her worse than it did Clark.

Lana turned and saw them standing behind her. Shock registered on her face first, then fear.

"Who are you talking to?" Clark asked innocently, a wide grin on his face. He took the phone out of her hand and raised it to his ear.

"Who's this?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

He heard a swallow from the other end of the phone, then, "Clark, it's me."

"Jonathan," Clark said detachedly. He grinned and said condescendingly, "How's the farm?"

"Clark, your mother and I love you and your sister very much and we want you to come home," Jonathan said, sadness permeating his voice.

Clark nodded, still grinning. "Is that right?" he asked. "Hey, what about not dwelling on the past and making a fresh new start?" Clark paused.

"Come on, you can admit it. You're happier now we're gone," Clark said, still pleasant even though his insides boiled with rage.

"Clark..." he heard Martha utter faintly.

"Son, that's not true," Jonathan defended.

Clark lost it at those words.

"I'm not your son!" he roared into the phone. "And my _sister _is not your daughter! And you're not our parents, you never have been! You never will be!"

Clark threw the phone to the ground and Rory crushed it under her foot.

"Clark, what is the matter with you?" Lana asked, heartbroken. "Your parents love you, and you Rory!" she said, looking at her best friend.

Looking back to Clark, she said softly, "_I_ love you."

"Do you always betray the people you love?" Rory spat, her face twisted with anger.

Lana didn't – _couldn't_ answer. Rory and Clark turned and walked away.

* * *

**Atlantis, very early the next morning  
**The two thieves that had attempted to kill Clark and Rory escorted them into the empty nightclub. Edge sat at a long dining table, the same as all the others that filled the room, lit with foreboding blue light.

"I'm glad you decided to consider my offer," Edge said, raising his voice a little so the twins could hear him. "But why the change of heart?"

"Our past is catching up to our present," Rory said, her voice strong. "We need to disappear."

"Free tonight?" Edge said casually.

Clark sat down and put his feet up on the table as Rory sat next to him, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other.

"Our calendar just opened up," she said charmingly.

Edge smiled at her as he handed Clark a slip of paper. "This is an account in the Grand Cayman. Here's how much is waiting for you."

Clark whistled and passed the slip to Rory. "That's a lot of zeros."

Rory nodded appreciatively.

"It's a serious job," Edge said, solemn now. "I need you to break into a secure building. The office on the 60th floor has a very valuable package. It's in a titanium-reinforced steel safe."

"Not a job for mere mortals," Rory muttered to Clark, enjoying the joke.

She looked over at the two thieves and said, "Sounds like easy money," as she dropped the slip of paper.

The thieves looked at each other, annoyed.

"I haven't told you where you're going yet," Edge said and Rory returned her attention to him.

He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Clark. Rory scowled.

_Once giving you the important stuff was fine by me, but twice... that's insulting, not to mention sexist._

_Especially when you could crush his skull with one hand, _Clark murmured into her mind.

He took the card without looking at it and passed it straight to Rory.

"LuthorCorp Plaza," Rory said in a single breath. She looked straight into Edge's eyes, her own bright blue ones burning into his.

"You want us to break into Lionel Luthor's office."

"Will that be a problem?" Edge asked, retaining his outward composure.

"No," Rory said lightly. She smiled maliciously as she said cruelly, "It would be our pleasure."

* * *

**LuthorCorp building, Lionel Luthor's office, the next night  
**Rory dropped to the floor through the panel she'd removed from the ceiling. Clark dropped down next to her and Rory motioned him towards the right, where a set of double doors stood.

Walking through them, the doors opened to reveal Lionel's office. They ignored everything in it except their target: the safe.

Clark went to the sliding doors that hid it and pulled them open.

"Ladies first," he said devilishly, bowing playfully for his sister.

"Thank you, brother dearest," she replied just as playfully, walking past him.

Reaching for the hinges of the massive door to the safe, Rory crushed the top one, then leaned down and did the same to the bottom one. She then pulled the door away and leaned it against the wall next to her.

Inside on the shelf was a small metal box, about an inch tall and around six inches long. Rory grabbed it and said, "This must be it."

"Then let's roll," Clark replied.

They turned to leave and stopped.

Jonathan stood there, waiting for them.

"Hello, Clark, Rory," he said solemnly.

Rory grinned, sauntering forward. "Jonathan Kent," she said, smiling. "Isn't it a little past your bedtime?" she asked him, condescending.

"How'd you find us?" Clark asked, his dark tone a direct contrast to Rory's playful yet cruel attitude.

"Your biological father," Jonathan said, still solemn and stern.

"Ohh. You two are working together now?" Rory said cheerfully, tilting her head to the side. "That's cute."

Stepping towards him and changing her manner instantly, she said threateningly, "But we didn't listen to him and we're sure as hell not gonna listen to you."

She tried to push past him and he grabbed her shoulder, stopping her once more.

"Rory," he said softly into her ear. "Rory, you need to put all this behind you, sweetheart. Come on home to the people who love you." He looked to Clark.

Rory smiled again, this time sweetly. She patted Jonathan's chest a few times and he relaxed, letting her go.

"Big mistake," Rory said, still sweet and charming.

She shoved him across the room with the same hand. He flew across the room and crashed into the wall, which dented.

Jonathan fell to the floor, unmoving.

"You should have stayed in Smallville," Clark said, the tone in his voice final.

Jonathan looked up from the floor and the twins looked back at him intensely, challenging. He rose slowly to his feet.

"You two are coming home with me," he stated calmly and firmly. "Now."

Clark and Rory didn't respond.

Without warning, Jonathan ran at them. Clark pushed Rory out of the way as Jonathan's body blurred with superspeed, hitting Clark hard.

They crashed towards the window and straight through it, breaking the glass and hurtling towards the ground.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**A/N I'm incredibly sorry, there really aren't words for it. I've been very busy lately – Breaking Dawn came out, school stuff, old friends talking to me for the first time in ages etc etc. So I'm really sorry for taking so long to get this out. No, I'm not putting it on hiatus. I couldn't, cause I really want to write the fourth season!**

**Thanks to all those people who continue to stick by me even though it takes so long for me to update. :o) I love you all!**

**Question 5: What's your favourite episode of Smallville and why? If you watch Supernatural, that too.**

**Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	27. Phoenix Part 1

**Phoenix – Chapter Twenty-Seven  
**Jonathan and Clark grappled with each other, still falling through the air as they both refused to let go.

Rory could see from high above them that they were headed straight for a huge circular spotlight built into the ground that shone upon the LuthorCorp tower.

They crashed into it, shattering a huge hole in the glass and falling into a huge electrical warehouse underneath.

"Here goes nothing," Rory muttered, and jumped out after them.

As she plummeted past the building, she realised that she was gonna need Clark to catch her.

_Clark! Heads up!_

Clark didn't answer, as he was currently busy being rammed into a concrete pillar. The pillar shattered like glass and Clark struggled through the debris to stand.

He turned and held out his arms and Rory dropped into them.

"Thanks, Clark," she said breathlessly, still recovering from her fall.

"Welcome," he replied, swinging her onto her feet.

They turned to face Jonathan who surprised them both by being much closer than before. He grabbed hold of Clark and threw him into a pile of wood.

Rory sped behind him and smashed him into the same pile of wood. Clark had already gotten up and supersped back to his sister.

"Looks like the old man's been working out!" Clark said, a maniacal grin on his face.

Jonathan rose from the (now destroyed) pile of wood. "Jor-El and I have an understanding," he said darkly. "I'm taking you home."

"I don't care what he's done to you," Rory shot back. "You're not taking us anywhere!"

Jonathan grabbed for her necklace, but Rory used her superior superspeed to get out of the way. He then snatched at Clark's ring, trying to get it off his finger.

Clark shoved him away, sending him flying into a set of pipes which collapsed as soon as Jonathan hit them. White steam shot up out of the ground and Clark walked over to the place Jonathan landed. Jonathan walked out of the steam, unharmed.

Clark pulled off his jacket as Jonathan said, anger and fear in his voice, "Clark! You don't realize how dangerous you are when you're wearing that ring! And you, Rory! You're even worse!"

"It's not the ring, Daddy Dearest," Rory said, a maniacal glint in her eye, "or my necklace. We were born this way. You just can't accept it."

Clark supersped forward, grabbing Jonathan. Jonathan grasped his shirt in his hands and spun him in a complete circle, using his momentum to throw him into a tower of scaffolding.

Clark stood up slowly from the rubble, his shirt almost completely torn away. He grabbed it and ripped it off easily, revealing his scar. Rory went to stand beside him, pulling off her own shirt as she did so.

Jonathan stared at the symbols, identical in every way excluding position, in shock. "What the hell did Jor-El do to you two?" he asked, pain for them in his tone.

"He made sure we'd never forget who our real father is," they answered in unison, creeping Jonathan out.

Rory picked up a steel pipe and hurled it at him. Jonathan ducked, dodging it, but when he stood back up, Clark and Rory were nowhere to be seen.

Jonathan turned, looking for them, and saw Rory standing less than a foot from him.

She raised a fist and Jonathan reached forward.

At the same time her fist smashed into his face, he broke the necklace, freeing her from its influence – but just like with normal Kryptonite, it took a little longer to wear off.

Another fist hit his face, and then Rory was staggering backwards, the scar on her stomach shining brightly. She raised her face to the sky and screamed before collapsing onto the ground, the scar gone.

"Rory!" came a shriek, echoing around the cavern.

Jonathan turned, looking for Clark, when all of a sudden he was smashed into a nearby steel pillar. Clark held him there, indescribable rage and fury all over his face. His other hand was fisted with the red ring shining dully on his finger.

Clark hesitated.

"Go on," Jonathan said, taking advantage of his hesitation. "Do it."

Clark continued to waver, the urge to help his sister warring with the urge to kill his father, and the knowledge that he couldn't truly help his back-to-normal sister with the ring still on his finger...

"If I could raise a son that could kill, then kill!" Jonathan yelled, pushing him to the edge.

Clark howled, smashing his fist into the pillar next to Jonathan's head. The ring smashed and Clark fell back.

Jonathan was illuminated by a sudden flash of white and then he too slumped to the ground.

Rory was stirring several metres away. She looked up just in time to see Clark repeat her motions of a few minutes ago.

Clark rose to his knees, growling like a beast as he raised his face upwards. His scar shone brightly also and then disappeared. He collapsed.

"Clark!" Rory shouted, scrambling over to him. His recovery was much faster than hers and he raised his head almost instantly.

They had the same thought, and looked up at Jonathan's prostrate body, lying on the ground.

Clark and Rory jumped up and ran to him, falling to their knees beside him. Clark pulled his head onto his lap as Rory stroked his hair, repeating softly, "Dad. Dad? Dad?"

"Rory, Clark," he murmured softly before fainting.

"Dad," Clark and Rory murmured in unison.

* * *

**The Kent Farm, later that night  
**Martha sat in the Kent living room, looking at pictures of herself, Clark, Jonathan and Rory. The room was full of boxes and she glanced at the phone, worried. She still hadn't heard from her husband and he'd left hours ago.

Suddenly, someone came through the door, and Martha looked up, surprised. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened with shock when she saw who it was.

"Mom," Rory said, tears in her eyes as she ran to her mother.

Martha stood and hugged her tightly.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, for everything," she said tearfully. "For the baby."

"We never blamed you," Martha replied, crying.

She took Rory's face in her hands and smiled at her daughter.

Rory smiled back, then the expression was wiped from her face as she turned to something only she could hear.

"Where's-" Martha started to ask before her question was answered.

Clark and Jonathan stumbled through the door, the former supporting the latter who seemed to be out cold.

Clark helped Jonathan to a chair, which he collapsed in.

"Oh, my god!" Martha said, panicking.

"Dad," Rory said softly.

"What happened?" Martha asked fearfully as Jonathan woke, disoriented.

Clark continued to support Jonathan as he said, "Whatever Jor-El did to him must have been too much for his body to handle."

"Jor-El?" Martha asked angrily.

"The important thing is that Clark and Rory are back home with us now," Jonathan mumbled deliriously.

Martha hugged Rory to her side, who stared into her brother's eyes miserably.

* * *

**Kawatche Caves, the next day  
**Clark, Jonathan and Rory wandered through the caves. Clark shined his flashlight on a drawing of a falling meteor, then turned to Jonathan.

"Dad, I just don't get it. Why would Jor-El help you bring us back when he's the one who wanted us to leave?" he asked, confusion on his face.

Jonathan didn't respond and the twins had the same revelation.

"You made a deal with him, didn't you," Rory said disapprovingly. It was not a question.

He stared at her intensely. "Rory, the most important thing right now is that my children," he looked up at Clark and smiled, "have their life back."

"I'm not sure I want it back," Rory said quietly.

"Being Kal-El, and Kara..." Clark added, "we could just do whatever we wanted."

"It was like this huge weight had been lifted off us," Rory said, still quiet.

There was an awkward silence as Jonathan tried to figure out the best way to comfort them.

"Look," he began, "I'm not saying that staying is going to solve all your problems, but at least this way we can face them together, as a family."

"I wish it were that easy," Clark said darkly.

Rory pulled the box they'd stolen from LuthorCorp out of her pocket and handed it to Jonathan.

"What is this?" Jonathan asked, puzzled.

"We don't know," Rory informed him. "Some guy – Morgan Edge – hired us to steal it."

"You guys have to take this back," Jonathan said sternly.

Clark shook his head.

"We stole it from Lionel Luthor," Rory said bluntly.

Jonathan stared at the box, considering it. "We better find out exactly what it is we're dealing with."

He opened the box, and both Clark and Rory's eyes widened when he pulled out a vial of blood.

"That's my blood isn't it?" Clark asked.

* * *

**Kent Barn  
**Clark and Rory stood in the second floor of the loft, watching anxiously as Jonathan took the piece of kryptonite out of the lead box and held it next to the vial of blood.

The rock glowed and the blood began to boil.

"It's your blood alright Clark," Jonathan said, resigned.

He put the rock back in the box and the twins sped down the stairs to stand next to him.

"Do you think Lionel knows?" Rory asked anxiously.

"Helen told me she never labelled it before someone stole it from her office," Jonathan replied and she relaxed a little.

"Why would Lionel want my blood?" Clark asked, curious.

Jonathan threw the vial at the floor, shattering it.

"Doesn't matter now," he said stonily.

"I'm starting to wonder what he really knows about us," Clark said, half to himself.

Jonathan turned to face his children. "Clark, we've managed to stay one step ahead of Lionel Luthor so far. Why don't you just focus on people closer to home, okay?"

Jonathan patted him on the shoulder and left the loft.

Rory and Clark just looked at each other.

* * *

**Kent Farm, the next day  
**Rory glanced at the sign that used to say 'KENT FARM' and now read 'Foreclosure Auction' and sighed nostalgically. She still couldn't help but feel that the whole thing was all her fault – if she'd just convinced Clark not to wear the ring, if she'd only disagreed with his plan...

She was jolted out of her dark thoughts by an even darker car sitting in their driveway. It looked expensive, and definitely didn't belong.

Clark stopped the Smallville Movers truck they were in and jumped out. Rory copied him and walked round to his side. Together they approached the car, to find that the last person they'd expected was sitting in the back seat.

Morgan Edge.

"I must admit, this is the last place I expected you two to show up," he said, his voice and tone bringing back memories of what it was like to be free.

"How'd you find us?" Clark asked, his tone menacing.

"Where's my package?" Edge countered.

"We don't have it," Rory said shortly.

Edge nodded slowly. "I wonder if the cops know where you are," he said in a purely speculative voice. As he said it, he pulled out a mobile phone and started to dial.

Clark slammed his hands against the door and growled, "I don't think you heard her!"

He ripped the door off the car and grabbed Edge out, slamming him against the side of the car.

"The package is gone!" he shouted. The driver was quickly getting out of the car to intervene as Clark continued to yell, "Luthor doesn't know who took it so forget about it!"

The driver pointed a gun at Clark's head. "Take your hands off of him right now!"

Edge pushed the gun away slowly and subtly motioned to Rory.

The driver grabbed ahold of her and pointed the gun at her head. "I said _now_!"

Clark looked at him, rage in his eyes. Moving at superspeed, Rory simultaneously stamped on the driver's foot, jabbed her elbow into his stomach and grabbed the gun, holding it away from her head.

Clark turned his attention back to Edge and said in a low, dangerous voice, "Take your sorry ass back down the road to Metropolis."

Rory wrenched the gun out of the driver's hand and stepped away from him quickly.

"I don't want to see you in Smallville again," she said threateningly. "Ever."

Edge and his driver scurried back to the car. Rory threw the gun in after them just before they drove off.

Clark hugged his sister with one arm and kissed her temple.

* * *

**Smallville High, the next day  
**Rory took a deep breath and glanced at Clark. "Do we really have to do this?" she asked in a tone some may have called whiny.

"Yes," Clark replied shortly. "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"Easy for you to say," Rory grumbled. "_You _didn't threaten to kill her, twice."

Clark shook his head and went into the Torch office. Rory sighed and followed him.

Chloe, as usual, was working there. She looked up to see who it was and promptly looked back down when she saw them.

"Kinda far from your new hood, aren't you?" she asked coldly. So coldly, in fact, a blind person could've mistaken the Torch for the Arctic.

"We just came to say thank you," Clark said weakly.

"Oh, it's one of _those _days," Chloe said caustically with the air of one who's just had a great revelation, "because I can never tell with you two, whether you're gonna walk in and it's gonna be an apology, or an accusation," she stared straight at Rory accusingly, "or a threat."

Rory winced and said to Chloe, "Chloe, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, and I know that doesn't help at all. The way I acted, I wouldn't be surprised if you never forgave me. And the only excuse I have is that I wasn't myself, and it's a pretty poor one."

Chloe didn't respond and Rory plunged ahead, "I gave you absolutely no reason to stand by us. But you knew where we were all summer and you didn't tell anyone."

"Yeah, well, that's what friends do for each other, Rory," Chloe said stonily, but it was apparent Rory's apology had mollified her – well, mollified her a little. "Apologized to Lana yet?"

Rory shook her head and said, "I didn't really talk to her at all in Metropolis..."

"Except to tell her she'd betrayed you," Clark reminded her.

"Yeah," Rory sighed. Looking at Chloe, she said, "You know, if I could go back and do all that again-"

"You can't," Chloe interrupted. "So let's not go there." Focusing on Clark, she asked again, "Have you talked to Lana yet?"

Clark sat on one of the desks and said heavily, "I tried."

Chloe let out a snort of laughter and asked disbelievingly, "That's it? After two years of non-stop Lana lusting, that's the best you can do? Come on."

"I think it's for the best," Clark said dully and Rory nodded.

"You're not staying, are you," Chloe realised.

"We haven't decided yet," Rory murmured.

"You can't keep running away, Rory," Chloe said angrily, facing her. "We all do things we regret. Sometimes, you have to turn and face your demons."

Rory just nodded noncommittally and Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

* * *

**A/N Well, there's another update for you, I might be able to finish Phoenix for you guys before my holidays are over. Also, I'm currently plotting out the ending for this story – I've always had a vague idea of where it was going that got vaguer and vaguer the further into Smallville it went, so I'm getting everything together.**

**Remember, all questions are welcome!**

**Question no. 6:  
What colour do you think best suits Clark? Not physically, but which colour best represents who he is as a person.  
**

**Yes, that series of questioning will continue for a while. :o) I do actually want to know the answers to these questions by the way, they aren't just filler or whatever!**

**Love you all,  
Xx.maddy-sparx.xX**


	28. Phoenix Part 2

**Phoenix – Chapter Twenty-Eight  
Kent Farm  
**Rory carried a chair out to the moving van as Clark walked past her to get another desk or two. She loaded the chair into the van, making sure it was sitting steadily.

"Am I too early for the farm auction?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

Rory froze, then turned suddenly and grinned hugely at the man standing there. "Lex!" she yelled as she threw herself into his arms.

Hugging him tight, she warned Clark quickly, _No powers, Clark._

Rory then remembered suddenly, the plane crash, the searches, the funeral...

She pulled away and looked into his eyes with confusion. "But, you're dead," she said, puzzled.

"You cut your hair," Lex said, trying not to show too much surprise. "What'd you do that for?"

Rory shrugged and flicked the front bangs back. "Needed a change, but this conversation doesn't. You're dead! I was at the funeral!"

"Lex?" they heard a voice ask incredulously. Lex turned and Rory slipped out of his arms as Lex grinned at Clark.

Rory grinned hugely, fighting back laughter at the look on Clark's face.

Lex was evidently thinking along the same lines as her, as he said, "Three months on a deserted island and it was almost worth it to see the look on your face right now."

"Amen to that," Rory said laughingly.

Clark and Lex walked towards each other, both smiling hugely. They embraced warmly and Lex closed his eyes.

"Aw, man! Lex, we thought you died," Clark said happily as they pulled apart.

"Well apparently fate has bigger plans for me," Lex grinned, happy to be with his best friends again. Turning to a more serious matter, he said, "I heard about the farm. Anything I can do?"

"No, Lex, you know our dad," Rory said, still happy just to see him alive.

"It's good to see you," Clark said, bringing the conversation back to Lex. "What happened?"

Lex's expression went a little darker. "Something I didn't know I was capable of."

Rory and Clark both watched him in concern as he went on, "It's ironic. In the most remote solitude I still managed to find an enemy. I suppose I was just hallucinating from the malaria," he shrugged, "but the enemy I found was real. I got a good look at myself, or at least the part I've always tried to ignore," he finished solemnly.

"Lex," Rory said quietly. He looked at her, and she continued, not looking away from him, "I guess we all get a look at our dark side sooner or later."

There was a long pause as Lex stared at her. "The problem is," he began to reply softly, "if you stare at it long enough it can get hard to tell the two sides apart."

**

* * *

After Lex has left  
**"Hey, Mom!" Rory called, entering the barn with Clark by her side.

"Dad!" Clark yelled.

"Yes, Kal? Kara?"

The twins stopped dead in their tracks, furious.

"Didn't I tell you never to come back here again?" Rory asked quietly, her cold voice expressing more rage than shouting ever could.

"I wanted to meet the parents," Edge said, his voice taking on a slightly menacing tone. "Nice people."

Edge stepped quickly to the side, revealing Martha – tied to a wooden pole with one of Edge's henchmen holding a gun to her head.

"Mom," Rory whispered.

She took a single step forward, stopping when Edge said darkly, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Clark! Rory!"

The shout came from behind them, and Clark spun in response. Jonathan was tied to a chair with another of Edge's men holding a gun to his neck.

"Don't do anything," Jonathan said quickly. "It's okay."

Edge grinned, thinking that he was in control of the situation now. "I know you're quick. But can you get to both of them at the same time?" he asked rhetorically.

Rory smiled slightly. "There is two of us, you know."

Edge's expression flickered.

"Ow! Get your hands off me, asshole! No, wait – no don't! Get it off me! Hey! No-"

Rory and Clark's faces paled simultaneously. They both knew that voice, all too well.

Another man pushed a girl into the barn. With one hand he held a gun to her head and with the other he had one arm wrenched up behind her back. A blindfold covered her eyes and she was struggling hard.

It was Lana.

Edge's expression firmed once again. "But now, Kara, there are three of them. And I doubt even you and your brother are that fast."

Clark's gaze flickered from the girl he loved to his sister to his parents. "We don't have what you're looking for," he said, deepening his voice a little – Edge wasn't calling them by the names Lana knew, and she was blindfolded. If they changed their voices, just a little...

Rory read the thought in his mind and nodded infinitesimally. "Exactly," Rory said, making her voice rougher and slightly higher.

"Do you want me to have to explain that to Lionel Luthor?" Edge said, his voice strained.

The man next to Martha cocked his gun.

"No, don't –" Jonathan was cut off by his guard who hit him across the face with his gun.

"Wait!" Clark yelled at the same time Rory cried, "Stop!"

_We have to do something!_

_I know, Rors. I think I have an idea..._

Clark watched Edge for a long moment, trying not to let Rory see his plan – he was sure she'd object. Moving quickly and suddenly, he grabbed an empty jar from a nearby workbench and put it on top of the tool chest.

Opening one of the drawers, moving at superspeed in an attempt to prevent Rory stopping him, he pulled out the familiar lead box and put it down on the chest. He pulled up his left sleeve just as Rory yelled, "No!"

Clark turned to look at her, seeing the blistering expression on her face. She was glaring at him, rage and fear filling her face. "_No_," she said, enraged.

Clark turned back to the box which abruptly disappeared. He exhaled angrily and faced Rory again. "Give it back."

"No," Rory said defiantly.

Edge watched this exchange with interest. "The vial's in that box, then?"

"Shut up," Rory said without looking at him. "Don't be so stubborn, C-Kal."

"Give me the damn box, _Kara,_" Clark said through clenched teeth.

"I will _not _give you the box, _Kal,_" Rory imitated.

Clark narrowed his eyes at her and they stared at one another for a long moment. Edge continued to watch them, his curiosity piqued.

Clark's shoulders slumped suddenly as he gave in. "Fine," he sighed, and Rory relaxed as well.

"See, Kal-" Rory never got to finish her sentence.

Clark had already snatched the box back, opening it quickly and grabbing the kryptonite. Rory staggered back, already feeling the effects of it. Clark dragged the kryptonite shakily across his forearm, drawing blood.

He grunted in pain as he held the cut over the jar so his blood would fall into it. Clenching his fist so the blood would flow faster, he carefully put the kryptonite back in the box. Before he could close it, however, he joined his sister on the floor just moments after her.

Rory vaguely heard Martha gasp, but nothing really seemed to matter to her anymore: nothing but the pain. Pain that licked through her body like fire, like ice, like being buried alive, like everything she'd ever felt before crammed into one long moment.

Vibrations through the floor jarred her body and she moaned. Someone stopped near her head and she opened her eyes just enough to see what was going on around her.

"What the hell is this?" a faintly familiar voice that seemed to belong to Edge asked. Like his footsteps, his voice also jarred her body, hurting her even more – something she wouldn't have thought possible just a moment ago.

"It's what you're looking for," the voice she would know anywhere said weakly.

"It better be," Edge said menacingly. He put a lid on the jar and left.

Rory lay her head back down, wishing for death or at least unconsciousness to stop the pain.

* * *

Rory couldn't remember much of that time – drifting in and out of the blackness that signposted no pain. She remembered thinking that she must have been lying there for days, and she remembered losing all contact with Clark sometimes – even the corner of her brain that always knew his turned off.

She remembered being scared, and she remembered hoping the men hadn't taken Lana's blindfold off.

But mostly she just remembered the pain.

The worst past was that the longer she lay there, the worse it got. Or maybe the worst part was that her pain was doubled by Clark's, until she wished for the moments that her brain lost all contact with his.

The first difference she knew was when her shirt was ripped open and piece of kryptonite was taped to her chest. She vaguely heard men joking and laughing in sotto voices, but she wasn't really paying attention.

She also vaguely heard her father shouting something, but she couldn't make out the words.

Suddenly, there was a loud smashing noise and a few sounds that indicated a scuffle.

"Jonathan!" she could just make out her father's name in her mother's voice. A cell phone buzz pierced her head and she moaned, twisting her head away.

"Yeah?" she heard someone say. The noises were all fuzzy, but a little clearer than before – Rory inferred that this was because she was losing the feeling in her body slowly. It felt good.

"Yes sir," continued the voice. The phone snapped shut and he addressed someone else.

"That was Edge. He wants us to take the kids to him."

Rory felt someone stick their hands under her armpits and drag them out, but not before she heard Lana saying, "Kids? What's going on?"

She felt herself being stuck in some kind of vehicle, Clark nearby.

_Rory... _a faint nudge came at the edge of her thoughts. It brought only pain, so she ignored it completely.

She blacked out again for what felt like a while. When she came to, Clark was pulling the kryptonite off her skin and throwing it to the other side of the truck.

The feeling started to return to her limbs, but not fast enough.

"Rory, Rory, can you make it out?" she heard Clark asking.

Rory managed to mumble incoherently, "You're gonna have to carry me."

Clark somehow got the message and pulled her into his arms. _Can you make a field around yourself?_

Rory concentrated, harder than she'd ever done before, and somehow managed to pull a faint blue shield into being around herself. Holding it up, however, took all of her concentration and then some.

Clark wasted no time. He used his heat vision on some containers of acetone in the corner and Rory felt the rush of heat and energy around her as he supersped away.

Then the blackness came back to claim her and she knew no more.

**

* * *

Kent Farm, the next day  
**Clark carried a box down the stairs to the living room, where Martha and Jonathan were taping more boxes up. Rory lay on the couch, a frown on her face.

"Are you _sure _I can't help?" she asked petulantly. "I feel so useless."

"No," Martha said severely. "You are resting. Besides, you still can't stand."

Rory scowled harder. "Sure I can!"

The effect was ruined by the weakness of her voice.

"Yes, but you're not going to try, are you, Rory?" Clark said threateningly. Rory sighed and sank back into the cushions.

"It just won't seem right calling any other place home," Jonathan said resignedly.

Rory smiled and said, "It's not the place that makes the home, Dad."

"Does that mean you're staying?" Martha asked hopefully.

"Well, I can hardly go anywhere, right Mom?" Rory asked playfully, her voice still weak. "After all, you need to make up for years of neither of us ever getting sick."

Clark laughed and added his own reasons, "Besides, we've kinda closed the door on our time in Metropolis." He finally put the box down and continued, "I called the police and told them where the money we took is."

"I guess you can't run away from your problems when your problem is in your blood," Rory said quietly.

Clark nodded in agreement but Jonathan shook his head. "Don't you two be so hard on yourselves."

There was a knock on the screen door. The Kents all looked towards it and saw Lex smiling at them.

"Hi, Lex," Martha greeted him.

"Hey, Lex," Rory said, a smile spreading over her face. "You missed the garage sale, but we've got tons of those macramé plant holders left."

Lex stared at her with concern. "What happened?"

Rory waved her hand dismissively and said, a little hoarsely, "Oh, nothing, I just don't feel too great, that's all."

Lex frowned, still looking worried.

"Any particular reason for the visit, Lex?" Clark asked curiously.

"Actually, there is," Lex replied, distracted for now. He handed a piece of paper to Jonathan. Martha hurried to his side to look at it.

"You bought our farm?" Martha asked in hopeful disbelief.

"I put your names on the deed," Lex shrugged.

"We can't accept this," Jonathan said, shaking his head.

"Sure we can, Dad!" Rory said, sitting up a little. Everyone in the room scowled at her and she meekly slid back down. "I mean, this is _home._ What does it matter how we keep it?"

"I thought it didn't matter where we were, Rors," Clark teased her.

"Besides, Mr. Kent," Lex interrupted, "There's nothing to accept but my gratitude."

"Lex-"

"After the plane went down," Lex cut him off, "I made my way onto one of the broken wings." He held up an antique compass.

"This compass, your wedding present, guided me to safe harbour," Lex explained. "The least I can do is help you keep your farm."

Jonathan looked at Martha for a moment, then back to Lex.

"We _will _find a way to pay you back," Jonathan promised. Rory cheered hoarsely.

"I'm not worried about that, Mr. Kent," Lex said, smiling. "If it's not too presumptuous, I hope you'll just consider me part of the family."

Rory's eyes began to droop shut as she murmured, "Already do, Lex..."

She fell asleep and Clark said quietly, "I'll take her upstairs. Lex-"

"Don't worry about it, Clark," Lex said, still smiling.

Clark eased his sister into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

"Thank you, Lex," Jonathan said.

"No, Mr. Kent," Lex replied. "Thank you."

They smiled at one another, the animosity between them finally seeming to be gone.

**

* * *

A/N I'm incredibly sorry I took so long, these ANs all seem to sound the same now, but I've been really really busy lately with assignments etc.  
Obama got in! Well done to him, I would've voted for him if I'd a) been a US citizen b) been the right age.  
Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to update soon, but no promises as exam week is really soon.**

**Question no. 7:  
Which colour do you think best suits Rory? Once again, I don't mean in terms of her appearance.**

**Sorry again!  
Thank you all for the support, you're all wonderful people. :o)  
**


	29. Slumber Part 1

**Slumber – Twenty-Ninth Chapter  
Forest near Crater Lake  
**Rory continued to walk forward, feeling a little strange. She knew she was awake, and yet her surroundings felt vaguely dreamlike, surreal.

But she knew this forest, knew it well. She came out to Crater Lake all the time with her brother and her friends.

She came to the edge of the forest and paused, surveying the lake. She saw Clark talking to Lana on the jetty, when suddenly Lana turned and pulled her shirt over her head.

Rory gasped and turned immediately, walking away. She started to smile as she walked – maybe this meant they were getting back together!

Then her happy mood vanished.

Suddenly, something in her head dissolved and she realised she'd been wrong. She didn't know this forest at all, because it wasn't the Crater Lake forest any more, it was different and confusing-

and night.

Rory stumbled through the forest, frightened and confused.

She was caught by surprise when she almost fell through a screen of trees into a clearing and strong arms caught her. She reacted instantly, clawing free and whirling to face the stranger.

Rory's eyes widened. The stranger was a man, holding his arms out towards her peacefully, an urgent look on his face. He had messy brown hair with a reddish tint, hazel eyes and a well-balanced face. He was tall and fairly muscular, and extremely handsome.

"It's all right," he was saying in a calming voice. "It's all right, you're gonna be just fine-"

Rory held out her hand and surrounded him in a field. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"What the-?" he grunted, shoving against it. He stared at her for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Sam Winchester."

Rory narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I didn't ask for your name."

Sam raised his eyebrows, then said, "What else would you wanna know?"

"What you're doing here, for one," Rory said angrily. "And where here is, actually. And what the hell is going on. And where's-"

Her breath caught in her throat as she reached out for Clark, and couldn't find him anywhere. She shut her eyes and tried to reach him – and weirdly, she couldn't hear this guy's thoughts either. Sam, whatever his name was.

Sam struggled pointlessly against her field once again and growled, "Well, I don't know what the hell you're doing, but I was sleeping. Dreaming, actually."

Rory's slightly calm facade faltered as she stared at him. "Dreaming?" she whispered.

"Come to think of it, who are you?" Sam asked angrily. "And can you let me go?"

"That depends," Rory said shakily. "On whether or not you wanna hurt me."

"If you don't wanna hurt me, then I don't wanna hurt you," Sam said cautiously.

Rory freed him and said, "My name's Aurora Kent, Rory for short."

Sam looked at her and saw her properly for the first time.

What he saw was a young, pretty teenager of about 17. She had short blonde hair that was growing out and bright blue eyes. Her skin was fair and clear, her nose straight, her lips perfectly proportioned and hiding straight white teeth.

Her clothes – jeans and a red top – were dishevelled, her hair full of leaves. There were scratches marring her arms and she seemed afraid of something.

In short, she looked like she didn't belong on this planet. She also looked a little like Jess – the blonde hair, the lovely face, the curvy body...

"And where are you from, Rory?" he asked her.

Rory stiffened a little and said, "A town that's no doubt far away from where you are."

"So you claim to be a real person, then?" he asked.

"I _am _a real person, Sam Winchester," Rory said angrily. "As a matter of fact, Sam is a perfectly generic name, and Winchester is just a brand of gun, so if anyone's a figment of the imagination, it's _you_!"

"I'm not a figment of anything!" Sam exclaimed. "Look, I'll prove it. I have a brother, named Dean. We're currently," he hesitated, "on a road trip after my girlfriend's death."

Rory sobered a little at that. "Well," she muttered, "You might just be a product of my overactive imagination, but that doesn't mean I can't be sorry."

"Thanks," Sam muttered back.

Rory looked around. "So, do you recognise this place?"

Sam looked at her blankly and she elaborated, "Well, if it's your dream, sometimes people dream about things, places, people that they know."

Sam looked around a little more, glanced at the ground and said, "Nope. No idea where we are."

"Huh."

"What about you?" Sam asked. "Isn't it possible that it's your dream too?"

"Too?" Rory asked. "So you don't think I'm imaginary anymore?"

"No," Sam replied. He hesitated suddenly.

Rory noticed of course and asked, "What is it?"

"This is going to sound very, very strange," Sam said dryly. "As in, stick me in an asylum strange."

Rory laughed humourlessly and said, "Believe me, Sam Winchester, I am the queen of that kind of strange."

"Remind me to ask you about that later," Sam said, curious. "But see, the thing is... recently I started having these dreams."

"What kind of dreams?" Rory inquired.

Sam watched her face closely as he said quietly, "Dreams that come true."

Rory stared at him calculatingly for a moment. "Have you ever been to a town called Smallville? Three hours drive away from Metropolis, in Kansas?"

Sam tilted his head to the side and said questioningly, "Yeah, I was born in a town called Lawrence that's not too far from there."

Rory nodded. "When was the last time you were there?"

"Lawrence or Smallville?" Sam asked.

"Smallville."

"At least twenty years ago, except for maybe a drive through every now and again," Sam answered her. "Why?"

Rory's mind worked furiously. "So you're not infected," she muttered. "But then..."

"What do you mean, infected?" Sam asked hotly.

Rory looked at him, trying to see how he would react – it was harder when she couldn't get a look inside his head."Well... it's a lot worse than seeing things before they happen."

"Try me," Sam said staunchly. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe."

"I'm sorry," Rory said caustically, "You must have mistaken me for _normal_."

Sam shrugged casually. "You seem normal enough to me."

"I'm sorry," Rory repeated, this time angry. "I'm in your freakin' _dream_. I'm _in _it, not just a figment of your subconsciousness. I am a real person, with a mother and a father and a twin brother and friends! _How _is that _normal_?!"

There was a pause.

"Good point," Sam acknowledged. "So, you're not normal and I'm not normal."

"Oh, believe me, I am about as far from _normal _as it gets," Rory muttered, still upset.

"You were saying something?" Sam asked, trying to get back on track.

"Right. Well, in the place where I live..." Rory hesitated.

Sam noticed and guessing why, said, "You think I'm gonna track you down to see if you're real when I wake up, don't you?"

Rory's mouth twisted into a resigned smile as she said, "Well, I can hardly track you down if you're on a road trip."

Sam laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess. What if I promise that I won't come and find you?"

Rory said, "I see a loophole, Sammy."

"It's Sam," he said quickly. "And can I help it if I want to know if you're real?"

Rory thought for a moment. "Compromise, then. You can't contact me once you're awake, but you can check records to see if I'm real. But you can only check once, and not take any of my details or anything into account. Sound good?"

Sam nodded.

"Okay," Rory said, deliberating for a moment. "I'm not exactly sure where to start..."

"How about the beginning?" Sam said wryly.

"I'm not exactly sure where that is though," Rory replied in the same tone. "Um, okay. Well, did you ever hear about that big meteor shower that happened in '89? The one that hit Smallville?"

Sam frowned and shook his head slowly, saying, "No, I don't remember that..."

"Well," Rory said, almost apprehensively, "the meteors that fell... they weren't ordinary meteors."

Sam stared at her in confusion.

"Don't ask how I know this, Sam, but..." Rory paused, trying to decide if she should do this the roundabout way.

"The meteors came from another planet."

"What kind of other planet?" Sam asked.

"One with life on it?" Rory said, making it sound like a question even though it wasn't.

Sam stared at her. Yes, he'd seen a lot of creepy things – wendigos, werewolves, spirits, even a demon or two, but aliens? Aliens weren't real. Aliens just didn't exist.

Rory kept going. "These meteor rocks... they tend to affect people in certain ways, depending on what they were doing during the meteor shower, or sometimes, if a person is around a large deposit of them during certain points of their lives... it gives them abilities."

"What kind of abilities?" Sam asked numbly.

"Once, there was a guy who could move things with his mind," Rory told him quietly. "There was a girl who could control bees. A group of jocks that inhaled refined meteor rock and got superstrength. My brother and I have never met anyone who could see the future though."

"You think I'm one of these... freaks?" Sam asked, almost laughing when he used the word. He already knew he was a freak.

"You can't be," Rory said, shaking her head. "You said it yourself, you weren't in Smallville during the meteor shower and you haven't been there since. And the meteor rocks, they only appear around Smallville."

Sam remembered something suddenly. Stopping at a small gas station not far from Smallville, seeing a little green rock embedded in a necklace of the assistant, seeing his father recoil from it...

"These rocks, are they green?" Sam asked suddenly.

Rory frowned a little. "Yeah. Well, the most common variety is. There's also a rarer," she flinched, "red variety."

"And what does it do?"

"Nothing," Rory said quickly. "It doesn't affect humans."

Rory's use of the word 'humans' didn't escape Sam's notice. He asked casually, "So you're one of these meteor..."

"Infected is the word we use," Rory informed him, "and no, I'm not."

"Then how'd you do the blue... field thing?" Sam asked, staring her down.

Rory lifted her chin and said stubbornly, "Need to know. You need to know, I'll tell. You don't, I don't."

Sam glared at her and she glared back. "God, you're so _tall_," Rory commented sourly.

Sam shook his head and said, "Maybe instead of discussing our life stories we should try and find out where we are, seeing as neither of us recognise it."

Rory nodded and said, "Yeah, alright."

Neither of them moved.

"How do you propose we do that, Sammy?" Rory asked, tilting her head to the side.

Sam grinned evilly at her. "Start walking, Aurora."

He turned and struck out purposefully towards the forest. Rory caught him quickly, using her superspeed when he wasn't looking.

"It's Rory," she muttered angrily.

"It's Sam," he mimicked.

They walked in silence through the forest for about thirty seconds before they reached a road.

"Hey, I think I know this road!" Rory said in surprise. Sam looked at her.

"Where is it then?"

"If I'm right, ten minutes drive out of Smallville. If we follow this road that way, then turn into a road that goes that way, we'll find-" she stopped.

"You _can _trust me with some things, you know," Sam said irritably.

"We'll find the farm I live on," Rory sighed.

"Is this the Metropolis road out?" Sam asked.

"No, this road comes straight from (insert names of state near Kansas here)," Rory answered.

"Any way you'll be able to tell for sure?" Sam inquired – this mystery was really starting to suck him in.

"Um, yeah," Rory said thoughtfully, "there's this rock that should be up that way, I always notice it every time we go past it – which isn't often."

"Alright, let's go," Sam said.

They started walking in the direction Rory had indicated.

"Hey, Rory, would you mind if I asked you some questions?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"It depends on what they are," Rory replied, slightly suspicious.

"I was just wondering..." Sam paused for a moment. "What it's like to live in a real family."

Rory deliberated for a second. "Well... it's great, really. I mean, it's just so nice to know that no matter what you do, no matter how badly you screw up, there will always be someone who forgives you unconditionally. Someone who you can depend on for anything."

Sam didn't say anything for a long time.

"Aren't you going to ask about the question?" he finally asked.

Rory shrugged and said, "I have my secrets, you have yours."

"Well said," he grinned. Then something struck him and he said, "I have an idea."

"What kind of an idea?" Rory asked.

"Well, what if we traded secrets?"

Rory just looked at him and he shrugged. "I like secrets. I'd like to know more of yours. You tell me one of your secrets, I'll tell you one of mine."

Rory considered this. On the one hand, telling him her biggest secret was a really bad idea. On the other hand, knowing his secrets would stop the curiosity that was currently driving her mad. On the other other hand, Clark and her parents would be very mad if she told him anything incriminating.

She didn't have three hands and was pushing her luck as is, so she decided. "Agreed."

"All right," Sam said happily. "Do you want me to go first?"

"Yes, I do," Rory smiled.

"My brother and I aren't really on a road trip. Well, technically we are, but we're not doing the usual road trip stuff," Sam explained.

"That's it?"

"One secret," Sam shrugged.

"Okay," Rory said, weighing up her options. "My twin brother and I are biologically related, but adopted by our parents."

Sam nodded in appreciation. "I get the feeling this is going to turn into a game of 'Who-can-reveal-the-least-while-still-telling-a-secret'."

"I get the feeling you're right," Rory grinned at him.

"Okay. Secret number two... My mother died in a fire when I was exactly six months old," Sam said, a little sad at the memories.

"I'm so sorry," Rory said honestly.

Sam shrugged. "Happened a long time ago, and I never really knew her anyway."

"Yeah, but I bet you'd've liked to," Rory offered. "My turn. My brother and I are kind of famous around our town."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Secret for a secret, Sammy," Rory said, smiling. "One secret only."

"Alright," Sam considered a few options, before deciding on one that would no doubt scare her a little. "Remember what I said about," he swallowed, "about my girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Rory said quietly, leaving it at that.

"Well, she died in exactly the same way as my mom, _exactly _twenty two years later, to the day."

Rory's eyes went wide. "Wow. I've seen a lot of weird stuff, but that-"

Sam laughed grimly. "Yeah, that's not even the worst of it."

"Really?" Rory asked, liking the challenge. "Do you remember what I told you about the meteor infected?"

"How could I forget?" Sam said, a little darkly.

"My brother and I-"

"How many more sentences are you gonna start with that?!" Sam demanded. "Who _is _this brother of yours?!"

"His name's Clark," Rory replied acidly, "and he's more than my best friend. You could say," she half-smiled, "we're connected at the brain."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, Clark and I, we're..." Treading very carefully around her next words, Rory explained, "we're special. We have these... abilities. And we use them to stop the meteor infected hurting people."

"Before we go on," Sam said quickly, "Why do 'people' need protecting from the meteor infected?"

"Most of the time, the meteor infected go a little crazy. Sometimes they obsess over certain people, sometimes they just go nuts. But they almost always go bad in some way or another," Rory told him. "Most of them have killed people, or at least hurt them."

Sam nodded. "Okay, me again. Uh... this 'road trip' Dean and I are on, well, we're actually looking for our dad."

Rory grinned and said, "Your next secret's gonna be why you're looking for him. Clark and I are best friends with a billionaire."

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Your next secret's gonna be who he is."

"Nuh-uh," Rory shook her head. "That'll make it easier for you to find us."

Sam glared at her through the darkness for a second. "Fine. Dad's off on a hunting trip, and he could be in danger."

Rory raised her eyebrows. "You're gonna have to explain _why _he's in danger next."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I'm more open-minded than most," Rory told him.

"Even if you did believe," Sam looked her straight in the eye, "it'd scare you out of your wits."

Rory felt uncomfortable under his stare. "Lex Luthor," she announced.

"What?"

"Lex Luthor's our billionaire buddy."

"Wow," Sam exaggerated the word into three syllables. "That's pretty cool..."

"Yep," Rory agreed."

"... if it's true," Sam finished.

"Would I lie to you?" Rory opened her eyes wide in what would be a puppy-dog look on a brown-eyed person.

"Okay," Sam commented, "that's a little creepy."

"Shut up."

"My turn again. Uh, you wanted to know why he's in danger?" Sam smirked a little. "Well, he's not exactly hunting... the usual game."

"That's your new secret?" Rory asked. "God, you're as vague as they come. You might as well have said, 'Oh, I have a secret'."

Sam shrugged and said, "Dean'd kill me when I woke up if he found out that I'd told a civilian what we really hunt."

Rory grinned, victorious. "We?"

"Yeah, we. That can be your new secret – that Dean and I are hunting too."

"Alright. Well, thing is, what you said about Dean, that goes for me too," Rory said. "Clark and my parents would be extremely unhappy if they knew I'd told you our big secret."

Sam stared at her for a minute, but Rory looked straight ahead.

"Hey, look! There it is!" she called, breaking into a run.

Startled, Sam didn't realise what she'd said until he saw what she was running towards – a gigantic rock. He also didn't realise the special feature of the rock until he'd started running after her.

The rock sparkled, even in the moonlight.

"Why's it sparkling?" he asked.

"It's got quartz or something in it. Totally worthless, but pretty," Rory explained.

Sam nodded and said, "So you were right. We're on a highway, not far out of Smallville. How long do you reckon it'll take us to walk to your farm?"

"Maybe an hour?" Rory estimated, before sighing heavily.

"What?" Sam asked.

"It's just – I'm not used to having to take so _long_," Rory said mournfully. They started walking again.

Sam grinned and said, "Well, now you can explain that remark. After all, you owe me a secret now."

Rory said slowly, "See, the thing is, that secret's related to the _big _secret... and I can't tell you that secret, my family would be so upset."

Sam stared into space calculatingly. "What if..."

"What if what?"

"What if we didn't tell them?" Sam said quickly.

Rory didn't think she'd heard right. "I'm sorry?"

"What if we rewrote our compromise from before. You assume that I'm just a figment of your imagination, I'll assume you're just a figment of mine, we both go our separate ways, neither of us try to contact the other ever again," Sam said eagerly.

"My family doesn't have to know, yours doesn't have to know..." Rory was tempted. Despite having only just met Sam, she felt weirdly connected to him.

"Exactly," Sam agreed. "They don't need to know, we can pretend this whole thing was just a crazy dream... which it is, in a way."

Rory thought of something and said suddenly, "If this is just a dream, doesn't that mean we'll forget it?"

"All the more reason to tell each other, right?" Sam said. He didn't know why, but he just _had _to know what was up with Rory.

"Okay," Rory gave in. "I'll tell you, but you can't _ever _mention this to anyone if I do. My parents have good reason to be worried – if someone found out, they'd take me and my brother away."

Sam nodded and promised, "No one will ever discover your secret from me, I swear."

Rory took a deep breath and said, "Now, you should feel rather special. The only person outside our family who knows this secret is Clark's best friend... and he only got to know because he found the spaceship." She whispered the last word, but the night was so quiet that Sam heard loud and clear.

Rory went on, "See, the meteor shower wasn't really random – we think. The meteor rocks are actually fragments of our home planet – it's gone. It blew up, or the sun exploded, or something like that. Our biological family is dead."

Sam listened, saying nothing, sensing that if he interrupted he'd never get the whole story.

"We think that just before it happened, our father somehow managed to put us in this little spaceship and send us to Earth, hidden in the fragments of our planet. Kryptonite, we call it. Cause our planet was called Krypton.

We had names there, too – I was Kara Jor-El, and Clark was Kal-El. Names work differently there – girls get their father's name for a last name until they marry, and then their husband's name becomes their last name. Clark and I didn't know all this until we found these caves. The Kawatche Caves.

They're really close to Smallville, and they're filled with all this weird writing – Clark and I are the only ones who can read it. It's Kryptonian. The Kawatches were apparently visited by ancient Kryptonians. We also met this guy, named Swann. Dr. Virgil Swann. He received messages from our planet about us.

That's how we know our names – he got them in the message from our mother and father. Lara and Jor-El."

"When did you first realise?" Sam asked quietly.

Rory laughed bleakly. "Well, our parents found us, naked, wandering around in a field just after they crashed because of a meteor. They found the spaceship nearby and realised what we were – apparently, we also ripped the doors off the truck to get them out."

Sam chuckled. Rory grinned too.

"So, that's how you did the field thing, right?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah. Clark and I both have... superpowers." Rory smiled and said, "It's actually pretty cool. My powers are different to his though, and that's kinda scary."

"What are yours?" Sam asked. He couldn't help but be interested.

"When we were little, the only powers we had were superstrength – Clark's stronger than me though – superspeed, and I'm faster than Clark, and then Clark had invulnerability and I had telekinesis.

Then, two years ago, Clark got x-ray vision and I got mind-reading. So now I can read minds and he can see through people."

"You can read minds?" Sam said, alarmed. He didn't want anyone seeing inside his head!

Rory nodded. "But don't worry, you're safe for some reason. I don't know why though... it's confusing. Nobody's ever stopped me before."

Sam sighed in relief. "Do you have any other powers?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rory said. "Last year, Clark got heat vision and I got healing."

"Hang on..." Sam realise something. "You haven't mentioned the blue field thing."

Rory shrugged. "From what we can tell, that's just an extension of the telekinesis. See, I can move things with my mind, but sometimes the blue field shows up. So I can use the telekinesis to stop things moving – like I did with you."

"I wonder if you'll get any other powers," Sam said thoughtfully.

"Probably," Rory said.

"So that's why you were upset about having to walk..." Sam understood now. "But if you've got superstrength, couldn't you just carry me?"

Rory shrugged again and said, "I like talking to you. Besides, you haven't told me your story."

"It's not for the fainthearted," Sam warned.

Rory laughed. "I just told you that I'm an alien from outer space – way, _way _outer space from what we can tell – and you're worried that I'm fainthearted?" She laughed again.

"Alright," Sam agreed. "But don't blame me if you never sleep again."

**

* * *

A/N That is a very long chapter – over 4 000 words. I hope that clears up her powers a little. Also, if it takes me a while to update, that's because our internet is down and I (obviously) can't use the internet til it's back up. Don't you just love Sammy? There is a reason they're 'sharing' their dream, and there is a reason that Clark and Rory have different powers – just reminding you.**

**Also, a quick note. I've decided that Clark and Rory are actually 18, and were four when Jonathan and Martha found them, but they assumed the twins were two, so officially they're only sixteen.**

**Another quick note: when Rory vanished from Crater Lake and reappeared in the forest, there was also a time jump – day to night. It's a dream. Stuff like that happens all the time. :o)**

**Question number 8:  
Which colour best represents Lana? Again, not in terms of what looks best on her, but what sums up who she is as a person.**

**One more thing: this chapter, and the one or two that follow, are for those of you that don't watch Supernatural: you need to know some stuff, so this is me giving it to you. Also, it's long because it's just so easy to write their conversation! They just fit together, really.**

**Love you all! You're wonderful, really. :o)  
**


	30. Slumber Part 2

**Slumber – Thirtieth Chapter  
Highway outside Smallville somewhere  
**"It all started with my mother's death," Sam began. "See, she didn't _just _die in a house fire. My father said that he came into my nursery that night, came because he heard my mother scream after she came in to check on me, and he saw some blood drip onto my forehead.

So he looked up.

What else would he have done? He looked up, and saw my mother, attached to the ceiling somehow, bleeding across her stomach. Before his eyes, she burst into flames and they began to lick down the walls, towards us.

He grabbed me out of the crib and gave me to Dean, telling Dean to get me outside and take care of me. He tried to save our mother, then, but it was far too late for her. Dean was only four, but he did his best. He got us both out of the house, then apparently Dad caught up and ran us away faster.

Dad never forgot what he saw that night. He knew that someone or something had killed his wife. From what he'd seen, he assumed it was a something. So somehow – Dean and I aren't exactly sure – somehow, someone got him into hunting."

"Hunting?" Rory asked. "Hunting what?"

Sam refused to look at her. "Hunting things that go 'bump' in the night."

"And what goes bump in the night?" Rory asked playfully.

The playful mood disappeared when Sam told her, though.

"All kinds of things. Wendigos. Werewolves – we haven't seen one of them since we were kids. Spirits, mostly. Spirits are big. Demons, every now and again – they're rare though. Shapeshifters, sometimes. Anything you can think of," Sam said darkly.

Rory considered this for a moment. "Vampires?"

Sam snorted. "Vampires aren't real."

Rory laughed, and kept laughing. Sam finally looked at her and couldn't help the frown spreading over his face. "What?"

"You... just, told me," she gasped out between gales of laughter, "that werewolves, and demons," she choked a little, "and ghosts all exist, and then you go and say, all patronizing, '_vampires aren't real'_!"

She continued to laugh so hard she could barely breath. Sam started to grin against his will, before starting to laugh as well. "You're right, that's kind of funny."

"Why'd you wanna know about vampires?" Sam asked after she'd finished laughing, curious.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Rory said, her face trusting.

Sam snorted.

"Point taken. Promise not to laugh?"

"Just tell me, Rory."

Rory sighed deeply. "I'm afraid of bats."

Sam stared at her.

Rory shook her head and grinned. "_Vampires_," she muttered, and that set her off again.

About five minutes later, when she'd stopped giggling, Sam asked her, "Seriously though, that doesn't freak you out?"

Rory shrugged. "Sure it freaks me out. But I figure, I can protect myself."

Sam shook his head and said seriously, "These things take some serious training to kill, Rory. Almost anything you've ever heard of in any story will be real."

"Except _vampires_," Rory giggled.

Sam sighed.

"Sorry, sorry," Rory said, regaining her composure somewhat. "I'll try not to do that again."

Something occurred to her and she asked, "Have you ever encountered aliens before?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. But, you look just like the average human – well, not like the _average _human, but you look human. And you haven't been on any killing sprees, have you?"

"Why would I want to kill humans?" Rory asked sardonically. "My best friends are all human; my mother and father are human."

"So we wouldn't have any need to encounter aliens," Sam confirmed.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, then Sam asked, "How much further?"

"I could run there and back and tell you," Rory offered.

"Or, since we've finished story time, you could run us both there," Sam suggested.

Rory grinned at him. "Hold on tight and lift your feet up."

Without any warning, she grabbed him, swung him onto her back and was running.

Sam had never gone this fast before, ever. Never even gone close to this fast. He was glad Rory had warned him to hold his feet up – they'd be gone by now if he hadn't. _How the hell is she so strong?_

Seconds later, she was putting him down, supporting him as he stumbled up what seemed to be a driveway.

"How the hell do you _stand _that?" he gasped.

"It's part of who I am," Rory replied, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Sam shook his head a little and said, "Yeah, I'm good."

They walked up the driveway, Rory's arm around Sam's waist and his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey look," Sam mumbled. "Sun's rising."

"Hey, Clark!" Rory called. Nobody answered her, and she tried, "Mom! Dad!"

Still there was nothing, and Rory frowned. "This doesn't make sense," she murmured. "This time of day, Dad at the very least should be up. Plus, I've been out all night – last time I talked to Clark was around midday yesterday."

A faint blush coloured her cheeks. The last time she'd _seen _him was another matter entirely.

"They should be worried sick," Rory said quickly, worried herself.

She glanced at Sam. "Do you mind?"

"No, no. Go check it out," Sam said. "I'm fine, really. Look."

He let go of her and walked, a little slowly, but steadily.

Rory didn't need any more encouragement than that. She supersped into the house.

"Clark! Mom! Dad! Clark!" she yelled, hoping that her fears were unfounded. Still no one answered her and she spun, running back outside. Sam had reached the gate and was coming through it.

"I can't find them, Sam. They're not answering me," Rory said, trying not to panic. She reached out with her mind for Clark and couldn't find him anywhere.

Sam caught her by the arms and forced her to face him. "Listen to me, Rory. I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they're out looking for you, yeah? You did say they'd be worried sick," he reassured her.

Rory relaxed as she realised the truth in his words. "You're right," she muttered. "I'm probably just over reacting."

They smiled at one another.

"You don't really think this is a dream, do you?" Sam said, absorbed in the mystery this girl presented to him.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, puzzled. "Of course I think it's a dream. It has to be a dream. I mean, one second I'm running through a forest near Crater Lake, next thing I know-"

Sam put his hand over her mouth.

"Then why are you so worried?" he pointed out to her. He then removed his hand from her mouth.

Rory thought over his statement for a moment. "I spose it's cause... this dream, it's just so... _vivid_. I'm not used to dreams being so lifelike. Normally, I can tell my dreams apart from real life instantly. But this..."

"I know what you mean," Sam nodded. "Alright. So, are you gonna ask me in or not?" he grinned.

Rory grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, ready to show him the house.

"Shouldn't you call them or something?" Sam asked.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs.

"It's Clark!" Rory cried. Sam didn't bother to ask how she knew.

**(A/N If you want good atmosphere, start playing City of Delusion by Muse just here. It amps the mood right up.)**

A boy whose facial features were similar to Rory's came down the stairs. His hair was long and black, his eyes blue-green. He was handsome, tall (not as tall as Sam though) and about 17.

"Clark," Rory said in a tone that indicated a babble, "Clark, I'm so sorry I've been gone so long, it's just I got lost, and I think I'm dreaming, so I shouldn't really care, but this is Sam Winchester, and he's been helping, and – Clark?"

Clark had walked straight past the two of them to the fridge, opening it and pulling out some juice, drinking straight from the container.

"Clark?" Rory said again, her voice strangled.

Clark still didn't turn and look at her.

"Clark!" Rory shouted, getting louder as she continued to scream his name.

"Rory!" Sam yelled.

Rory turned to look at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Sam... he can't, he can't... he can't _hear me_."

Sam crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her by the upper arms, forcing her to look at him. "Listen to me, Rory," he said in his most calming voice. "_This is just a dream_. It doesn't matter if your brother can't hear or see you."

Rory still stared at him in panic. "Rory, take a deep breath," Sam ordered, and Rory obeyed slowly.

"Now, here's what we're going to do. We're going to stick with your brother, because otherwise I think you'd have a panic attack," Sam told her firmly. "We're going to stay with him, okay? Eventually I'm sure we'll find a way to contact him."

Rory nodded, again slowly.**  
**  
More footsteps came down the stairs. Clark and Rory turned automatically. Jonathan and Martha entered the kitchen, smiling at Clark.

"Morning, son," Jonathan greeted him.

"Hey, Clark," Martha said with a smile.

"Hey, guys," Clark replied. "Shouldn't Rory be up by now?"

Rory stiffened. Jonathan and Martha exchanged puzzled glances.

"Sorry?" Martha said, still smiling.

"Rory," Clark repeated. "You know, Rory. Blonde, loud, loyal, trusting?"

Jonathan and Martha looked at each other again. "Clark, you haven't mentioned Rory since you were six," Jonathan said, confused.

Rory clutched at Sam and Clark stared at his parents.

"What?" Clark asked, disbelieving. "Are you sure this is the same Rory?"

"Sure, Clark," Martha said. "Your imaginary friend."

"What?!" Rory shrieked. Of course, no one but Sam heard her.

"What?" Clark echoed Rory, incredulous. "But – Rory's my _sister. _She's not my imaginary anything!"

"You must have just been dreaming, Clark," Martha shrugged innocently.

"No," Rory whispered. "Clark, she's lying. Clark, _this _is the dream! I'm real! I swear!"

"Rory, relax," Sam said quickly, tugging her into his arms, trying to soothe her.

"No!" Rory shouted.

The window shattered.

Clark turned to stare at it. A grin spread across his face.

"Clark, are you feeling alright?" Jonathan asked in concern.

"Oh, I'd better clean that up," Martha said with a frown. She went to get a dustpan and brush.

"Clark?" Jonathan asked again.

"What?" Clark said distractedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Great."

"Any news on that girl yet?" he asked.

"What girl?" Sam murmured.

"No idea," Rory muttered back.

"No," Clark said in frustration. "I mean, I dug holes, I used my x-ray vision, but it's like she just vanished!"

"You?" Sam suggested.

"It can't be," Rory said quietly. "Clark was nowhere near me when I vanished."

"Was anybody else out there with you?" Jonathan asked.

"No," Clark said quickly. "Just me."

"You were skinny dipping alone?" Jonathan said, his eyebrows raised.

Martha returned with the dustpan and brush just as Rory cracked up laughing.

"I take it he's lying?" Sam said softly.

Between giggles, Rory managed to get out, "Yeah. That means I must have started dreaming before that, though."

Martha started to clean up the mess as Clark said embarrassedly, "Well, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"All right, I better give the sheriff a call," Jonathan said.

"Maybe I should skip school and go look for her," Clark suggested, his eyes lighting up a little.

"Clark, it's not your responsibility to save everybody," Martha told him firmly.

"Besides," Jonathan said warmly, "right now I have a surprise for you."

The three of them went outside, followed by Sam and Rory.

Outside was a brand new blue truck.

"Wow, I didn't know you got a new truck," Clark said in surprise.

"It's not mine, Clark," Jonathan said, grinning. "It's yours."

"What?" Clark said, a huge grin spreading over his face.

Jonathan and Martha both laughed excitedly as Clark said, "Wait til I tell Pete!"

Taking a closer look, he turned to them and said, "I don't know what to say."

"Say," Jonathan held up the keys, "that you will take good care of her?"

Clark grabbed them and said happily, "I'll take good care of her."

He jumped into the truck cabin and, after a wave to his parents, put the keys in the ignition.

"Quick!" Sam ran towards the truck, hoisting himself into the back. Rory ran after him, but the truck had already started.

Rory caught it effortlessly and jumped in, sustaining absolutely no harm.

"Show off," Sam grumbled and Rory laughed.

The truck drove down the road. Clark began to play some music, which Sam and Rory paid no attention to.

"So," Sam said, "tell me about your friends."

Rory glanced at him, smiling. "Why?"

"Well, I figure I'm about to meet them, even if they're not gonna meet me," Sam grinned at her. "So you could at least give me names."

Rory tossed her hair back and said, still smiling with happiness, "Well, there's my best friend – aside from Clark. Her name's Lana." Leaning towards Sam conspiratorially, she stage whispered, "Clark's been in love with her since forever."

"Ah," Sam nodded and tapped the side of his nose.

"They actually went out for about a week, about-" Rory faltered, before continuing with, "about three months ago."

"Then what happened?" Sam asked.

Rory looked down at her hands. "Well, Clark and I did something really bad."

"Which was?" Sam probed for more information.

Rory hesitated, then decided that seeing as he already knew so much, she might as well throw caution completely to the wind.

"Different types of kryptonite – that's meteor rock, in case you forgot – affect us in different ways," Rory explained. "Green meteor rock – well, it hurts like all freaking hell. Everything you have ever felt ever, all the good and the bad, jammed into one loooooooong moment until you can't take it anymore."

Sam thought about it for a second, and couldn't imagine that.

"Then the red variety, well," Rory grinned at some of the good memories, of letting go and being free and having no worries, "it takes away our inhibitions."

"You with no inhibitions?" Sam said in mock horror. "I for one can't picture it."

"Anyway," Rory returned to her tale. "We destroyed the spaceship, because our supposedly 'dead' biological father was using it to communicate with us, and he wanted us to leave. So we destroyed it, and there was a big shockwave...

It killed Mom's baby. She was pregnant. They were in an accident, and she miscarried. So Clark and I found some red k, put it on and found freedom." There was a wistful tone in her voice.

"You miss it." Sam didn't ask, but state.

"Some bits," Rory admitted. "The power, the freedom, the sense of being untouchable... not being afraid. That was great. But once it was off... everything came back. It's like a drug: so long as you're on it, you're fine. But once you get off, nothing in the world can put you back on, cause getting off just isn't worth it."

Sam nodded and stared off into space. Neither of them spoke for a while.

"Isn't it funny how even though we've known each other for probably less than an hour, and we've met in the most unlikely way possible – or impossible, actually – and yet we're talking and confessing secrets like we've known each other forever?" Sam asked suddenly.

Rory glanced at him. "I guess. It's just, I feel kinda free with you. Cause you've got your own secrets, so you'd never tell mine, and it won't worry you if I tell you what I'm really thinking."

Sam grinned and said teasingly, "You make me sound like a diary."

Rory smacked him on the arm and they both laughed.

"Anyway," Sam shook his head as if shaking off a daydream, "you didn't finish telling me about your friends."

"Oh yeah," Rory remembered. "Well, my next best friend is Chloe. Chloe's amazing. She's funny and smart and spunky. Editor of the school newspaper. She's also had a crush on Clark since forever."

"So basically every girl in town loves your brother?" Sam summed up.

Rory laughed and agreed, "Exactly."

"So, moving on."

"Clark's best friend is Pete, and he's pretty cool. He's African American, confident and has had a crush on Chloe since forever. But," Rory stopped Sam's comment, "apart from him, every other guy likes Lana."

Sam stared at her for a second, then said, "I find that hard to believe."

Rory blushed, before continuing hastily, "Then there's Lex."

"Ah, yes," Sam recalled. "Your billionaire buddy."

"Yeah," Rory said laughingly. "Have you heard of him before?"

"I've heard of LuthorCorp."

"Lex's father owns that. Lex runs the Smallville branch," Rory explained. "His defining physical trait... just warning you... is that he's bald. He was caught in the meteor shower. Every follicle of hair on his head, gone."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

They continued in silence a little longer, before Rory said quickly, "This is nice."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

The song from the cabin changed. **(It's Imitation of Life by REM, in case you were wondering. This song plays when Lana and Clark skinny dip.)**

"I love this song!" exclaimed Rory. She began to sing along.

"What's it called?" Sam asked her. She held up a finger as she continued to sing, waiting for a pause.

A pause finally came up and she said quickly, "Imitation-of-Life-by-REM."

The solo came up and the two of them lay back, staring up at the blue sky and the clouds in it.

"I think this is what most people call a perfect moment," Rory commented softly.

They lay in silence until the slow bit of the song came up and Rory sang quietly,

_That sugarcane,  
This lemonade,  
This hurricane, I'm,  
not afraid.  
Come on, come on,  
no one can see me cry-eh-ay-eh-ay-eh-ay-ay._

She sat up on her elbow, looking down at him with a smile.  
_  
This lightning storm,  
This tidal wave,  
This avalanche, I'm,  
not afraid.  
Come on, come on,  
no one can see me cry-eh-ay-eh-ay-eh-ay-ay..._

She leaned just a little closer to him when the song and the truck stopped abruptly, lurching her onto him.

They both sat up quickly, Sam pushing her away gently, looking flustered. She seemed the same as he jumped down from the truck and held his hands up to her. As soon as she was down, he let go.

They followed Clark inside to start what turned out to be a long day. Sam of course had already done high school, and Rory had been reading ahead in her textbooks.

"You know, this is a really boring dream," Rory muttered, putting her head down on her arm. They'd quickly discovered that people didn't go through them, just found some way to unconsciously avoid them.

"Tell me about it," Sam sighed. The two of them sat on some desks away from the rest of the students currently studying in the library.

"Okay," Rory said, an idea occurring to her. "Let's ask questions."

"What kind of questions?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"The kind of questions you ask someone you want to know more about," Rory said innocently, sitting up.

"Like...?" Sam probed.

"Like favourite colour, food, movie, song, band, singer, etc," Rory elaborated. Smiling at him, she asked, "Wanna try?"

Sam grinned back, and they spent the rest of the day trading information on all different aspects of their lives.

Just between two classes, however, something interesting happened.

"Okay, gimme a top ten worst singers ever," Rory said to Sam.

Sam was looking at a pretty girl with tinted skin, brown eyes, pretty features and long dark hair when she said this, and so wasn't listening.

"Hmm?" he said absently.

"Sam?" Rory waved her hand in front of his face, then saw who he was looking at.

"Lana!" she cried happily, even knowing the girl couldn't hear her.

"That's the famous Lana?" Sam asked.

Lana caught up to them quickly, bypassing the two and grabbing Clark.

"Hey, Clark," she said with a sweet smile.

Rory grinned in anticipation and said, "Ohh, this is great."

"Lana," Clark said, sounding surprised. "Look, about yesterday..."

Sam and Rory both laughed, almost missing Lana's, "Oh, it's okay."

"You're not mad?" Clark said, sounding even more surprised.

"About you running off?" Lana asked, still smiling. Rory shushed Sam needlessly; they both guessed this had something to do with the girl.

Lana's next comment completely derailed their focus, however: "No, I had a good view when you left."

The look on Clark's face had both of them howling with laughter.

They managed to recover in time for Lana's, "So who was screaming?"

"Some girl," Clark shrugged, far more casual then he'd seemed this morning.

"Is she okay?" Lana asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"I don't know," Clark sighed. "She just kind of disappeared."

Rory shook her head in frustration. "I wish I could know what _really_ happened."

"I'm really sorry I just left you," Clark said sincerely. "Again."

"It's not like we had a date or anything," Lana laughed. "But I had fun."

"So did I," Clark smiled happily.

"Our relationship's always been about pain and angst," Lana said, smiling ironically. "I guess a little levity is refreshing."

Clark's face became more solemn as she said wistfully, "Maybe after a while, you'll stop torturing yourself and realise that there's no reason why we shouldn't be together."

Clark looked down and opened his mouth, ready to argue, until Lana stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Clark," she said understandingly. "I'm willing to wait as long as you want."

Lana turned and walked away as a familiar expression came over Clark's face; one of longing.

He turned and saw a girl who had been standing there for some time now. She had red hair, and looked bewildered. She was watching Clark.

Clark seemed very interested in her. "Hey," he said to her, looking a little confused.

She started to walk away and he followed her, saying as he went, "Hey, wait. Hey, who are you?"

"What's going on?" Sam asked Rory.

"If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that's this mysterious girl we keep hearing about," Rory replied.

The girl stopped in front of a glass trophy case set into the wall.

"What happened?" Clark asked in concern, finally catching her. "I saw you get pulled into the ground."

When no information seemed to be forthcoming, Clark said, slightly desperate, "At least tell me your name."

The girl seemed to come to her senses at little at this, and said shakily, "Uh, Sara. Sara Conroy."

"Okay, Sara," Clark said, happy to be getting somewhere, "what's going on?"

"He's after me," Sara replied, distressed.

"Who?" Rory murmured, agitated.

"Who?" Clark echoed her without knowing.

"He's always after me," Sara reiterated, obviously unhappy.

Sara looked past Clark and her features tensed in fear.

At the same time, Rory's head exploded in pain.

She shrieked and bent over, clutching at her head.

She couldn't see, or breath, or think, or feel. It hurt just as badly as the meteor rocks, maybe more, because all of the pain was concentrated in the one place of her body.

Somehow, she managed to hear a hissing, terrible, horrible, indescribable voice.

_You shall not interfere, outsider._

The pain disappeared.

Rory breathed heavily, trying to come back to her senses. She suddenly became aware that Sam was holding her up, asking urgently, "What's wrong? Rory? What's the matter?"

"What happened?" she gasped, breathless.

Sam told her quickly, "There was something, in a red hooded cape. I'd say we're dealing with a spirit."

"It's a dream, Sam," Rory panted. "Spirits aren't around. Besides, I'm guessing spirits can't inflict huge mental pain on their victims."

"Is that what happened?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Rory replied shakily. "I think the pain started as soon as this guy showed up."

"Any theories?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, actually," Rory said, her voice getting stronger. "I _think_ – just a theory, remember, and a really farfetched one at that – but I think there might be two levels, or planes, to this dream. The first one is the one that they're on," she gestured to the students around them.

"The second one is the one that we're on, where we can watch and observe but not interact," Rory explained. "If I'm right, then that guy has somehow found a way to transcend the two planes-"

"And move between them," Sam said understandingly. "Certainly fits the bill."

"That it does," Rory agreed. She looked around.

"Where's Clark?" she asked, something almost like panic hitting her.

"What?" Sam looked up too. "Oh. Don't know."

Rory nodded, staying calm. "He's probably just gone to the Torch or something."

"The Torch?" Sam asked, relieved that she was all right. He took her hand and she subtly led him along a corridor.

"Yeah, the Torch. School newspaper. Chloe's –"

"Editor," Sam remembered.

Rory flashed him a grin. "You're good."

She tugged him gently into a room just off their corridor.

Clark had apparently only just beaten them there. He was talking to a pretty blonde girl with short hair, similar to Rory's.

"Chloe?" Sam asked.

Rory nodded, not letting go of his hand.

"...referring to the 'Blue Lagoon' moment with a certain former girlfriend, right?" Chloe asked Clark with a cynical smile on her face.

"You know about that?" Clark asked, momentarily distracted.

"Clark, this is high school," Chloe said, sarcastic disbelief throughout her tone. "Everybody knows."

"The only-" Clark was shocked. "Did Sara Conroy tell you?"

"Highly doubtful," Chloe said sardonically, "since I've never met anyone with that name."

"Does she always talk like that?" Sam asked Rory.

"Isn't it awesome?" Rory said by way of answering.

"Well, she's a new student, I think," Clark was saying. "I saw her in the woods, and I just saw her in the hallway. She's definitely a candidate for the Wall of Weird."

"The what?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"Oh, Chloe takes articles on the meteor infected, or weird happenings in Smallville and puts them up on..." Rory trailed off suddenly.

"...the Wall of Weird has been retired," Chloe was saying. Clark was staring at an empty wall in shock. Sam could clearly see where there had been things stuck to the wall: it was faded around their old outlines.

"Chloe, who did this?" Clark asked, astonished.

"I did," Chloe said solemnly. "It's time to start leaving childish pursuits behind. You're not the only one who grew up this summer. Besides, I think the Daily Planet was beginning to frown on my little obsession."

Clark spun to face her, his face suddenly alive with hope. "Rory," was all he said. Rory's eyes snapped to Chloe's face.

Chloe just looked confused, though. "Sorry?"

"Rory," Clark said again, the hope fading from his eyes. "You know, Rory."

Chloe smirked, a little wary. "She another imaginary friend, Clark?"

Without another word, Clark left.

**

* * *

A/N I know, such fast updates from a girl whose record til recently was three weeks! I tend to write about my current obsession, and I've now become re-obsessed with Smallville. So yeah! I was gonna stop this chapter quite a bit later, but I decided that it was long enough here.**

**With the whole 'Imitation-of-Life' part, Rory was just leaning up to him as a joke when Clark stopped and she fell onto him, making them both uncomfortable... haha.**

**Don't you just love the vampires line? Sam and Dean have done Dead in the Water, by the way, but were working a case between that and Phantom Traveller when this happened.**

**Question no. 9**  
**What colour best represents Chloe?**

**All questions are welcome!  
**


	31. SLumber Part 3

**Slumber – Thirty-First Chapter  
Lex's Mansion, that night  
**Sam sighed as he slid off Rory. His whole body felt rubbery from being pushed through the air faster than it was supposed to.

"I thought you didn't have invulnerability," he complained to her. "How do you take it?"

"I have tough skin," Rory replied. "Comes from the superstrength – I couldn't punch through walls or lift cars if I'm just going to start bleeding or have my arms or legs break."

Sam grumbled quietly, "Yeah, well, you could at least go a little slower."

Rory laughed. "You would have been so much better off here with Clark. He can't run nearly as fast as I can."

Sam and Rory had spent the rest of the day telling each other everything they could possibly remember about themselves – it beat being bored. By now, Rory thought, Sam probably knew her better than anyone else in the whole world.

"Isn't it strange," she ventured, "that sometimes, you won't tell the people you love best about your problems, but you can tell a complete stranger?"

Sam considered this for a moment. "It's probably because the people that care about you will be concerned and upset about your problems, but a stranger, especially one that doesn't exist," he winked at her, "won't give a damn."

Rory nodded pensively as they followed Clark through the hallways of Lex's mansion.

"So this is the famous Luther mansion," Sam said, looking over the architecture. "Kinda gloomy, isn't it?"

"Says the guy who hunts ghosts for a life," Rory replied smilingly.

They entered Lex's study, Rory murmuring to Sam, "This is Lex's study. We normally see him in here. Isn't it pretty?"

Sam did have to admit that it was beautiful, with large stained glass windows, an open area paneled in wood with richly coloured rugs over it and an aura of wealth hanging over it.

"Lex?" Clark asked. "Your message sounded urgent. Something wrong?"

Lex was sitting in a seat, staring contemplatively at a sifter of brandy. Sam walked around to the other side of him to examine him as he said, "I'm not really sure. I'm having a rather strange day."

Sam's first impression of the billionaire former playboy was that he was a snob. The way he sat, spoke, looked at the brandy… the aura of wealth didn't originate from the room, but from him.

He was bald, of course, famous for it. But at the same time, he was still handsome, and the fact that he didn't attempt to disguise it with a wig or toupee would make him more attractive to some women (Sam supposed).

He glanced up at Rory, trying to gauge her feelings towards this strange man in front of him. She, however, was studiously ignoring his inspection, concentrating on Clark, who had responded with, "Join the club."

"I was hoping you could help me with a problem, Clark," Lex said, rather loftily.

"Actually, I was hoping the same thing," Clark said sheepishly. "Do _you_ remember Rory?"

"Remember?" Lex asked, a small smile playing around his lips. Rory no longer bothered to hope when Clark asked people about her. "I can't say I do, Clark, I've never heard that name before."

Clark sighed in exasperation. "Did she set you all up to play some kind of huge practical joke on me? Cause it's not funny."

Lex shrugged casually. "You must have just dreamed her, Clark. She pretty?"

Sam scowled at him and Clark said softly, "Yeah, she is."

Rory walked around Clark again, hoping to get through to him. "God, I wish I could just touch something! Anything!"

"Anyway," Clark said, "what did you need?"

"It's so weird, talking and not being heard," Sam said contemplatively.

"Would you hand me that sword?" Lex asked, pointing to one on the wall.

Clark pulled it off the wall and examined it closely. "Is it new?"

Lex finally got up from his seat, saying, "Depends on your definition. It was a ceremonial weapon used by a group of 16th century Samurai warriors. The Katai. Ever heard of them?"

"Japanese history really isn't my strong suit," Clark said with a grin.

"Let me give you your first lesson," Lex replied. He held out his hands for the sword and Clark handed it over.

"Legend has it that the sword was forged in the fires of Mount Fuji," Lex explained. He unsheathed the sword and continued, "The blade can cut through anything. The Katai never took it into battle." With a half smile, he added, "They never had to."

Walking past Clark and going on, louder than before, "Until the day the strongest Katai turned against his own. One by one, the Katai fell at his hands."

He stopped in front of the fireplace, holding the sword in both hands.

"Nothing left to lose, the last Katai lunged at the warrior with this sword. The blade cut him clean in two. But when the warrior's armour fell away," Lex's voice dropped to horror story tones, "the Katai saw he wasn't even human."

Lex tilted his head, cracking his neck. Worried, Sam looked at Rory, who had a concerned frown on her face.

"Sam, his mind's all blurry-"

Without warning, Lex whipped around and brought the sword down onto Clark. Instinct taking over, he raised his arm to protect himself. Rory gasped in horror and Sam leaped forward before remembering he couldn't do anything.

The sword smashed down onto Clark's upraised arm and shattered.

Lex stared at Clark, breathing heavily. Rory was almost in tears as she ran to him, trying to touch him, but her hands always stopped just a few inches away from him.

Yelling her frustration, she turned and swept her hand towards the collection of glasses and brandy on a nearby table.

Blue energy burst from her hand, smashing into the delicate compilation of glass. It shattered all over the floor.

Lex and Clark's heads turned instantaneously to see the destruction. Lex walked over to it, dropping the useless sword hilt on the ground and crouching.

He looked back to Clark. "The irony is, Clark," he whispered, "I was your friend. If you'd just told me, I would have kept your secret upon pain of death. But I couldn't be trusted. And now," he stood and faced him, "I'll make sure everyone knows your secret."

Sam and Rory were still in shock.

"My powers..." Rory whispered. "And why can't I touch Clark?"

"It's just like the people at school," Sam realized. "Objects in the first dimension must hate contact with things that only exist in the second."

"What about the truck?" Rory asked.

Sam shrugged. "No idea. Maybe because it's so much bigger than us, it doesn't even realise we're there."

Lex left the room and Clark yelled after him desperately, "Lex!"

Shaking his head, he ran out. Sam sighed and shook out his limbs.

Rory grinned at him. "Off we go!" she trilled. Sam hooked his arms around her and lifted his feet tentatively, still surprised that she could carry his weight.

She supersped them in an instant down to the truck and they both got in the back, waiting for Clark. He arrived after another minute, got in and drove them away.

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
Clark got out of the truck and headed for the house, yelling, "Mom! Dad! We got a big problem!"

Sam got out of the truck and helped Rory down. She saw Sara standing near the gate and cried, "Look!"

Sara looked up and saw her.

Rory and Sam were both shocked. Her eyes hadn't just looked past them; her face had registered their existence.

"She's on the second plane, too," Rory whispered.

"Sara?" Clark asked in surprise, oblivious to the epiphany his unknown companions were going through. "What are you doing here?"

Sara still looked troubled and frightened as she said, directly to Sam and Rory, "Who are you?"

Clark looked back, confused. "Sorry?"

"I'm Rory Kent, and this is Sam Winchester," Rory said unsteadily. "I'm Clark's sister."

"Then why can't he see you?" Sara asked, sounding upset.

"I don't know," Rory said, sounding just as upset.

"Sara, who are you talking to?" Clark asked.

Sara ignored the question, looking at the flowers near the fence. "Lilacs," she said, and her face relaxed a little. "I haven't seen them in years. They're my favourite. My mother used to grow them for me," she said, slightly panicky.

"Where is your family?" Clark asked her.

"Sara? What's going on?" Rory asked.

Sara walked straight past Clark, right up to Rory and Sam. "Please don't let him take me again," she pleaded with them. "You have to help Clark stop him!"

"How do you know my name?" Clark asked. "Who are you talking to?"

At the same time, Sam asked her, "Who's taking you, Sara?"

Her eyes focused on him. "The Traveler, Sam."

"My name's Clark," Clark said, almost going insane from the confusion. "What the hell is going on?"

Rory had a sudden brainwave. "Sara! We can't communicate with Clark," she explained. "He doesn't know we're here. Can you tell him? Tell him that Rory's here, he'll understand. Don't tell him about Sam, that'll just confuse him."

Sara turned to face Clark. "Clark, um, she said – she said to tell you that Rory's here."

"Rory?" Clark whispered. "Here? Where!"

"You can't see her," Sara said, shivering. "But she has to help you, her and Sam."

Clark frowned. "Who's Sam?"

Sara looked over his shoulder and screamed, shrinking into Rory and Sam. Horrified, they saw a huge figure, wearing a long red cape. It had no face and its horrible skeletal arms were outstretched.

"You cannot escape me, Sara," it said commandingly in a deep male voice.

"That's the thing from the school!" Sam yelled in Rory's ear.

Its face turned in her direction. "You!" it said, sounding outraged. "How dare you interfere!"

Clark went to the figure and tried to punch it in the stomach. It did nothing and the Traveller threw him back.

"No matter where you hide, I will always find you," it said in a horrific voice.

"Help me!" Sara cried, turning her agonized face to Rory. "Please!"

Rory stood in front of her and raised her hand. However, before she could release the energy the Traveller raised his own hand and whipped it to the side. Rory's head turned as though he'd hit her and she fell to the ground.

"Rory!" Sam cried, dropping to the ground himself and pulling her head into his lap. "Rory!"

The Traveller advanced on Sara as Clark got up. He wrapped her in his cloak and bent over, covering her. Clark ran to them and grabbed at the cloak, but they were both gone.

"No! Sara!" Clark cried.

"Rory!" Sam almost sobbed. She stirred, her eyelids fluttering and her face twitching.

"Sam?" she murmured

Clark punched his fist into the ground and opened up a huge hole. He pitched into head first and somehow it swallowed him.

Rory was yanked from her place in Sam's lap. She reached out frantically, trying to find something to hold on to, trying to find him, but couldn't.

Until suddenly, she was sitting bolt upright in the loft, gasping for breath, Clark next to her doing the same thing.

"Sam!" she cried.

"Rory!" Clark cried, nearly strangling her in his effort to hug her. "You're real!"

She hugged him back, almost sobbing in fear and panic.

Footsteps belonging to voices calling their names ran up the stairs. Rory looked up wildly. "Sam?" she asked, already having registered her mother and father.

"Thank god!" Martha sobbed, pulling Rory to her. "We were so worried!"

"What happened?" Clark asked.

"Where's Sam?" Rory asked at the same time.

"You fell asleep studying for your history exam," Jonathan told them. "That was a day and half ago."

"Who's Sam?" Martha asked in confusion.

"Yeah, who's Sam?" Clark asked, turning to her.

Rory didn't even know how to begin. 'My new best friend' sounded weird, as did 'A guy I dreamed up who "isn't real" but actually is'.

"Sam is… I met him, in the dream," Rory said, confused herself.

"What dream?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, what happened to you, Rors?" Clark asked.

"Well, I know what happened to you, Clark, we were there the whole time," Rory told them.

"We?" Martha asked.

"Me and Sam. See, I'm not sure when reality ended and the dream began, but it was before Clark went skinny dipping out at Crater Lake, w-"

Clark shook his head furiously.

"-ithout me," Rory finished. "So I walked away. Next thing I knew, I'm in some other forest, at nighttime, I've missed out on ages, and I'm meeting a guy who calls himself Sam Winchester. He claimed he was real, but I'm sure he's made up.

We walked back to the farm, and found out that nobody could see or hear us. We worked out eventually – at least this is what we think happened – that there are two planes or levels to the dream. You were on the first, we were on the second.

And I didn't exist. So I was freaking out, and we decided to follow Clark around, did everything he did. By the way, school is incredibly boring when no one can see you.

Anyway, we went to the Torch and saw the Wall of Weird, went to the mansion and saw that, came back to here and saw Sara again. And that's all," Rory finished.

"Sara?" Jonathan asked in confusion.

"Sara Conroy," Clark told them. "In the dream, she was in trouble." He looked back at Rory. "So it _was_ you that shattered that glass?"

Rory nodded.

"Conroy," Martha said thoughtfully. "Isn't that the name of our new next door neighbour?"

"Yeah, and doesn't he have a teenage daughter?" Jonathan asked.

"They moved into Lana's old house?" Rory asked. Clark got up and went to the window.

"There's been a moving truck there since yesterday," Jonathan told them.

"How could we dream about someone we've never even met?" Clark asked, turning back to them.

Rory looked down at her hands.

"Rory, this Sam guy. Why don't we look for records? You know his last name – you could know for sure whether or not you just made him up," Martha suggested.

Rory was already shaking her head. "I know he's real, Mom. He told me not to look for him. He made me promise, just like I made him promise." She blinked and said stonily, "I'll probably never see him again."

Martha put an arm around her shoulder while Clark and Jonathan just watched her in confusion.

How did she become so attached to someone she'd never really met?

**

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country  
**Sam sat straight up, sobbing for breath. He looked around wildly; no Rory. He was back in the dirty old motel he'd last seen Dean in.

Speaking of Dean…

His brother had been sitting on the other bed, but was now next to him.

"Sam? Sammy?" he asked in his rough voice. "What the friggin' hell is going on? You've been asleep for 36 hours!"

"36-" Sam couldn't believe it. "Where's Rory?"

"Rory?" Dean asked. "Who's that?"

"This girl-" Sam caught himself. "I had a dream, and she was in it, and I've got to go back and find her!"

"Why?" Dean asked. He grinned. "She hot?"

Sam stared at him without really seeing him. "You have no idea."

"She real?"

"I think so…" Sam said. "But –"

"So what happened?" Dean interrupted. "We got a case?"

"_I_ have a case," Sam corrected. "I doubt you'd be able to get in."

"Get into what?" Dean questioned.

"The dream, Dean! Me and Rory, we were on the separate plane to everyone else…" he trailed off.

"Maybe we should look her up," Dean suggested. "You know, check out her files."

"No." Sam's voice was final.

"Why not?"

"I promised her I wouldn't. We agreed that we would pretend that the other didn't really exist for our own peace of mind," Sam explained.

Dean shook his head. "What the hell would you do that for?"

"Cause I know where she lives, her full name, everything," Sam told him. "It would be way too easy for me to find her, and she couldn't ever find me."

"So you go and see her," Dean said, exasperated. "I'm not seeing the problem here."

Sam looked down at his hands and linked his fingers together. "She told me some stuff she doesn't want people to know, and she doesn't want her family to know she told me."

"Like what?" Dean asked sardonically.

"I can't say, Dean, I promised," Sam said, almost angrily. He stood up and wandered over to the other side of the room.

"Dude, what does it matter?" Dean gestured roughly. "She never has to _know_ that you looked her up. Just to see if she's all right. Come on Sammy, don't you wanna know if she's all right?"

Sam turned back to him and said, "Of course I do. But I'm sure if I can just get back to sleep, I'll be able to make sure without breaking any promises."

Sam went and lay back down on his bed. There was silence for a moment.

"So that's it, then," Dean said, evidently mad. "All this effort trying not to sleep, and now you're actually trying _to _sleep?"

"Guess so," Sam said monotonously, not removing his eyes from the ceiling.

Dean shrugged and murmured very quietly, "This girl must really be something special."

Sam closed his eyes.

**

* * *

The next morning, Kent Farm  
**Clark sat at the bottom of the stairs outside drinking his 26th cup of coffee.

Rory came out frowning and sat down next to him.

"Nothing," she complained. "I think it was your dream, Clark, and Sara, Sam and I were just… I don't know. There?"

"I can't get over how _real_ it was," Clark said, shaking his head. "It felt like real life, it really did."

"I knew straight away it was a dream," Rory said quietly.

"How?" Clark asked, brow furrowing.

Rory laughed, still quiet, and said, "Even with all the weird stuff that happens in Smallville, no one we know has ever disappeared from one place and reappeared instantly in another time and place."

"True," Clark admitted.

They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying being together again. It felt good to finally be once again connected the way they'd always taken for granted.

"Maybe we should go visit the Conroys," Rory said suddenly. "I mean, Sara just seemed so afraid…"

"What do we say to them, though?" Clark contradicted. "That Sara was in danger in our dream?"

"No," Rory said, almost offended. "No, we just go and visit, like the wonderful new neighbours we are. See what I mean? They don't have to know we're worried. We can just subtly scope out the place."

Clark looked over in the direction of the Conroy's house.

**

* * *

Conroy's House, not long after that  
**The door to Lana's old house opened and Rory grinned at the nervous-looking dark haired middle aged man who had opened it.

"Hi!" she said cheerily. "I'm Rory Kent, and this is my brother Clark. We're from next door."

The man smiled uncertainly and said, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nicholas."

"We brought you and your daughter these," Clark said, holding up a plate of brownies.

Nicholas seemed confused. "My daughter?"

"Yeah, your daughter," Rory said. Noting his mood, she said, "Is there a problem?"

Nicholas twisted his face uncertainly and said, "Maybe it would be best if I showed you…"

* * *

Clark and Rory stood over Sara. Her face was totally familiar, and yet so calm and peaceful that they barely recognised her. Nicholas touched her forehead affectionately.

"Do the doctors think she'll come out of it?" Clark asked him.

"There's always hope," Nicholas said bravely.

"It must be really hard to see your daughter like this," Rory said, having toned down the happy-neighbour facade.

Nicholas looked at her in surprise. "Oh, she's my niece."

"Ohh," Rory said, understanding his reaction outside.

"What exactly happened?" Clark burst out suddenly.

"Clark," Rory hissed at him.

"It's okay," Nicholas assured her. "It's no secret."

Looking Clark in the eye, Nicholas said straightforwardly, "It was a car accident. Sara and her parents went off the Loeb bridge on their way home from a soccer game. The paramedics say Sara was asleep, which is probably why she survived."

"Sara's from Smallville?" Rory asked, confused. She'd never seen her before now.

"Grandville," Nicholas explained. "Just over the county line."

Clark noticed some flowers on her bedside table. "Lilacs," he said, surprised. "Those are Sara's favourite."

Nicholas frowned. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"Really? They're my favourite too!" Rory covered, going a little more back towards chirpy-neighbour. "Must be kismet, living so close..."

Nicholas smiled and leant over to fix Sara's pillows. A gold pendant hung from his neck.

"That's an interesting medal," Clark noted.

Nicholas drew back protectively. "This? Well, it's just good old St. Christopher."

"Patron saint of travellers, right?" Rory affirmed.

"Yes. Yes, I say his prayer every day in the hopes Sara will come back to us," Nicholas said, seeming even more nervous.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said quickly before they could say anything else. "It's, uh, time for Sara's medication. Thank you for stopping by."

Rory smiled genuinely at him and Clark smiled uneasily. They both left the room and as soon as they were out of the house, supersped home.

**

* * *

Smallville High, next day  
**Clark yawned as he shut his locker. Chloe stood next to him, her usual sardonic smile firmly in place.

"Clark Kent dreaming of the girl next door," she said ironically. "Nice to know some things never change."

They started to walk away as Clark said tiredly, "Right now I'm just trying to stay awake."

"You know, the thing _I'd_ like to know is, are you staying awake to keep Sara out?" Chloe asked, her smile widening. "Or to keep this Sam guy out?"

Clark glared at her weakly and muttered, "It's irritating, not being able to suss him out and see if he's dangerous."

"I knew it," Chloe exulted.

"Besides, does it really matter why? I'm just trying to stay awake," he said, his voice hollow.

"Yeah, even Red Bull has its limits," Chloe remarked sympathetically. "Believe me, I've tested them."

"I think Sara's reaching out to me for help," Clark told her his theory.

"Entering your dreams to communicate?" Chloe considered it.

"How else would I know these details of her life?" Clark asked rhetorically. "Like the lilacs."

They entered the Torch office and Rory looked up to see them, flicking her growing hair over her shoulder.

"Hey," she smiled. "You okay, Clark?"

Clark just nodded and smiled back.

Rory leant back on the desk, folding her arms. "Did he tell you his theory, Chloe?"

Chloe nodded and said, "There is a theory that telepathic receptivity is increased during REM sleep. It has to do with frontal lobe activity."

Rory frowned. "That doesn't explain how I was there, or how a complete stranger from the other side of the country was."

"Well, maybe in reaching out for help, she found Clark, asleep," Chloe thought aloud, "and then she found in his head you, and pulled you in too, and then..." she shrugged.

"Was there anything special about Sam, Rors?" Clark asked.

Rory met his eyes for a split second then looked away to Chloe. "No, nothing I can think of."

"Okay, well, we all know that your minds are both wired on a different frequency," Chloe said wryly. "Maybe Sam's is on the same as yours."

Rory grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and passed it to Chloe. "Add to that, the fact that the river where she crashed is a known source for our favourite green stuff and you have the perfect Smallville explanation."

"You think the meteor rocks gave her this ability?" Clark asked.

"It explains the day and a half sleep fest," she shrugged.

"All right, we have a theory with Sam; what about the Traveller?" Chloe asked.

"Her uncle," Rory said immediately.

"Or a manifestation of fear she has for her uncle," Chloe suggested.

"It's possible, I suppose," Rory allowed. "Clark, maybe we should go check public records, see if we can dig up some dirt on good ole Uncle Nicholas?"

"Okay," Clark agreed. "Chloe, you gonna come with?"

"Sadly, no," Chloe answered. "I have a deadline for the Daily Planet, and shockingly, they're not too fond of my baby."

The twins glanced automatically at the Wall. It was still intact and they both smiled.

"Maybe I'll grab Lana then," Rory said with a grin and a wink at Chloe.

"At least she can provide a constant source of caffeine," Chloe replied wryly.

Clark and Rory left the office.

**

* * *

The barn loft, that night  
**Rory threw down her current file in frustration and stood up, stretching out her cramped muscles.

"Now I know why public records are public," she sighed, "they're incredibly boring."

Lana sighed too and Clark knelt at the table. "Not all of them," he frowned. "Take a look at this."

Lana took it from him and Rory leant over the couch, reading over her shoulder.

"Wow," Rory breathed.

"Sara's parents were rich," Lana said, sounding impressed.

"When they died she inherited everything," Clark told them. "One guess as to who's in control of the money."

"Saint Nicholas," Rory said caustically.

"As long as she's in a coma, he controls the wealth," Lana realised.

"But he still hasn't done anything wrong," Rory said in frustration. "I mean, taking care of your niece and living a nice life isn't exactly a smoking gun."

"But why is Sara so scared of him?" Clark asked, also frustrated. "I just don't get it."

"Hey, you're tired," Lana said comfortingly.

He sat on the couch next to her and confessed, "I'm afraid to close my eyes."

"I'll go put on another pot of coffee," she said with a smile. She stood up and left, Rory taking her place next to Clark.

She leant her head on his shoulder and he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Lucky," he murmured sleepily. "You can sleep any time you like."

"So can you, Clark," Rory muttered.

Clark sighed and leant his head on hers. His eyes fluttered shut once – twice -

Rory opened her eyes after a moment, shifting to get more comfortable. She looked up at her brother and saw that his eyes were closed.

Much as she'd like to go back into the dream, she knew that Clark didn't want to, so she should probably wake him up.

"Clark," she said loudly. He didn't stir.

"Clark?" she repeated, poking him this time.

Her finger stopped inches away from him.

Rory realised that they must already be in the dream again – Clark must've fallen asleep. Which meant...

**

* * *

The other side of the country, same time  
**Sam rubbed his eyes in frustration, sitting up again. "This is so annoying!" he exploded. "_Why_ won't it come back?"

"Maybe it was a one off thing Sammy, maybe you should just let it go," Dean said in frustration. He was bored out of his brain – Sam was hardly fun when all he said was "Shut up" or "Sleeping."

"No, it wasn't," Sam said angrily. "It was too real to not be real."

"Maybe somebody just slipped acid in your drink Sammy," Dean said roughly. He was sick of Sam doing absolutely nothing.

"No, they-" Sam stopped abruptly. Suddenly, even though he'd been sleeping for the past two days, he was so tired he could have slept on a bed of nails.

He sank back into the hotel bed and closed his eyes again.

**

* * *

Kent Barn, in the dream  
**Footsteps came up the stairs to the barn.

"Lana, have you seen –" Clark started to ask before seeing who it really was.

He couldn't see the man just behind Sara though, or see Rory crying, "Sam!" and running to him.

"Rory!" Sam said happily, hugging her. "Do you know what's going on?"

Rory nodded and said, "The T-man's Sara's Uncle Nicholas. She's in a coma, reaching out to us for help, no idea why you're here although Chloe thinks it's because Sara found Clark, the closest person who was asleep, pulled me and you in because she knew we were the best people to help her out."

"But I've been trying to sleep for days. How come I never dreamed before?" Sam asked.

"It's all Clark's dream," Rory explained. "You and me are just visiting. We can't get into the dream unless Clark's asleep, and he's been staying awake cause he doesn't like it here. He hates not being able to help Sara and –" she hesitated.

Sam grinned. "And he hates not being able to be around you, especially with me here, right?"

"Right," Rory admitted.

"How do you get into my dreams?" Clark asked Sara behind them.

"Hey look, it's Sara," Rory said.

Sara looked up at Rory and smiled uncertainly. "I don't know," she said, speaking to all of them. "I – this has never happened to me before. Just the other day, suddenly I was – I was in the woods and then at school and then at your house."

"How did we get to that other forest, Sara?" Rory asked urgently.

"It was calling to you," she said, slightly confused. "Couldn't you hear it?"

Rory frowned in puzzlement.

"Sara? Is Rory here?" Clark asked her.

"Yeah," Sara said, seeming even more confused. "Can't you see her?"

Clark shook his head and said, "We think that she's on a different level of your dream. It's like, you have your subconsciousness and then your consciousness, and when you dream that's your subconsciousness, and she's in your subconsciousness with –" Clark twitched a little, "Sam."

Sam laughed a little as Rory said, "Sara, what did you mean, it was calling to us?"

"That place – it's part of your future. It's calling to you," Sara repeated. "Just like you call to each other."

Rory's eyes widened. Clark stood in shock for a moment before saying in an icy voice, "What?"

Rory cringed and muttered, "Oh God, I am so dead."

"We... _call_ to each other?" Sam asked, trying to wrap his mind around this concept.

Sara nodded. "Yeah. The eight of you, you're calling to one another. But you three were the only ones asleep. So you three were the only ones here, I think."

"Eight?" Rory repeated, her voice rising.

"Yeah, eight," Sara nodded. "You didn't know? But the call's just so strong."

"Who are the other five?" Clark asked, intensely curious.

Sara shrugged. "I don't know. But there's already four of you in Smallville. The other four aren't in Smallville, but they're connected to the rest of you."

This mind-blowing revelation had Clark and Rory stunned into silence for a moment.

Sam on the other hand asked Sara, "When did you realise what was going on?"

"When Clark and Rory came to visit me, of course," she replied.

Rory snapped out of her daze and asked, "You could hear us?"

"Yeah," Sara affirmed. "It's like being in a long dark tunnel. I mean, sometimes it's open, but sometimes it's not. I tried to reach out to you."

Her eyes went dark and her voice dreary as she said quietly, "I mean, you don't know what it's like to be locked in your own body, never any contact."

Clark was, for the most part, managing to piece together what the others were saying, and now decided that it was his turn.

"Sara, who's the Traveller?" he asked.

Sara flinched at the name and said nervously, "Oh, w-we shouldn't talk about him. He'll find us."

She backed down the stairs as Rory asked, "Is he your uncle?"

"Why are you so afraid of him?" Clark asked, not hearing Rory's question.

"What does he do to you, Sara?" Sam asked in the voice he reserved for victims of evil things.

"I don't know, what he does," Sara said in a small voice. "I used to be able to hear the doctors talking, and they said I should've woken up."

"Why didn't you?" Clark asked.

"Because every time I do feel just a little bit better, he does something and I get sent back to a deep dark place that's like the bottom of the ocean," Sara said bitterly. "I almost woke up once – that's why he moved us here."

Wind started to blow through the barn and Rory clutched her jacket closer to herself.

"Oh, God, he's here," Sara said, trembling and scared.

Abruptly, she was pulled over the railing. Clark, Rory and Sam ran to it and looked over. Sara was falling towards the ground, screaming, the Traveller underneath her, slowly wrapping his arms around her.

He finished covering her with his cloak and they were both gone.

Clark, Rory and Sam stood in stunned silence.

Rory turned away suddenly and walked back to the couch, throwing herself down onto it with a huff. Sam looked back at her, then started to pace from one edge of the loft to the other.

Clark looked at the seemingly empty loft and sighed.

"We need to find some way to communicate with Clark," Sam stated.

"How?" Rory asked lifelessly. "We're in the consciousness, he's in the subconsciousness."

"And how do they communicate?" Sam asked.

"Through dreams... but we're _in _a dream."

"Exactly! That means there has to be a way for us to talk to him," Sam said confidently.

Rory noticed all of a sudden that the files on the table had vanished. In their place was plain lined paper and lots of pens.

She sat up rapidly, remembering what had happened in Lex's mansion, and before that at the farm.

"Sam?"

He looked over at her quickly, the urgency in her voice spurring him to go and sit next to her.

"What is it?"

"Look," she said excitedly, pointing. "Pens and paper. And I just remembered... my powers work on objects in the first plane."

Sam stared at her. "You think you can write messages on the paper?"

Rory nodded and ordered, "Don't distract me. Actually, try and distract Clark somehow."

Sam nodded and went over to the boy still surveying the 'empty' room. He began to try, waving his hand in his face, attempting to poke him, etc, etc.

Meanwhile, Rory concentrated hard on the pen. Using her powers, she picked it up and started to write one word.

_Clark._

Sam turned and watched her, his efforts proving futile.

Clark started suddenly and stared at the pen, which was of course moving on its own. He walked over to the couch and sat down, unconsciously next to his sister.

The following message wrote itself onto the paper:

_Clark, are you okay?_

"Rory?" he asked, looking around.

_Who else? _slowly scrawled its way into existence.

Clark laughed breathlessly before abruptly frowning. "Where's Sam?" he demanded.

Sam came and sat next to her as she wrote painstakingly, _I'm on your right, and he's on my right._

Clark glared at the space next to Sam and said loudly, "Keep your hands off my sister!"

Sam just grinned and said, even knowing he couldn't hear him, "I'm over here, buddy."

Ignoring them both, Rory wrote, _What are we gonna do, Clark?_

Clark read her message and replied, "The only way we're gonna get anywhere is if we wake up, Rors."

_But I don't want to, _came the answer.

"Is this because of him?" Clark demanded. "Honestly, Rory, you've never even met the guy! He could be a psychopath for all you know! This is just unhealthy!"

_No it's not! He told me everything!_

"He could have lied!"

"Much as I love sitting here while you two argue over whether or not I'm a psychopath," Sam interrupted, "I agree with Clark. The only way you can get any more information is if you wake up and go talk to people, look around, see what you can find."

Rory looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "I mean, I'm sure we have to finish this in the dream, right? Cause Sara has to, I don't know, stand up to the Traveller or something, to get out. So we'll see each other at least once more."

Rory considered this for a moment. "Okay."

She wrote on the paper, _Clark, Sam says you're right._

"About him being a psychopath?" Clark asked quickly. "Rory, run!"

_No! About waking up. But we will be back._

"All right, whatever," Clark said absently, having only read the first part. "Waking up, now!"

Nothing happened.

_Clark? How?_ Rory wrote. Clark was ignoring the paper however. She sighed in exasperation and stood up, walking away. She rubbed her temples – using her telekinesis so much was giving her a headache.

Clark shook his head and sighed in exasperation. "Last time, we went with Sara when she got kidnapped. What do we do know?"

"Let go," Sam said. Rory looked at him and he explained, "See, spirits exist because they're too scared to let go of their life. Sara's got us here for the same reason. But she's not here to hang on any longer. So if Clark lets go..."

"We wake up," Rory said in understanding. "How does he let go?"

"No idea," Sam said with a shrug.

"Aren't you helpful," Rory grumbled. She went back to the paper, wrote on it, _You need to let go of the dream Clark_.

She then wafted it in front of his face. Clark grabbed it, read what she'd written and frowned. "How the hell do I do that?" he asked the empty room.

There was no answer or epiphany apparent, so he sighed and lay back on the couch. His eyes drifted shut and he felt almost as if he was falling asleep... but that was impossible... he was already asleep... wasn't he?

Clark and Rory both sat straight up, blinking and disoriented.

"Clark?" Rory mumbled.

"Here," Clark replied, discombobulated. "What the-"

"We're awake," Rory gasped, laughing. "We're awake because you fell asleep."

**

* * *

A/N Longest chapter ever... I wanted to finish the episode in this story, but it's not working! I will try my hardest to finish in the next one though, I promise!**

**And, I'm on my superlong holidays – from what I hear, holidays in Australia are different to those in America and the UK. We start the school year at the end of January and finish at the end of November, and our big holidays are now.**

**So I'll have heaps of time to write! Although I may be away a bit. I'll warn you if it's gonna be for a long time though.**

**Question no. whatever we're up to now:  
What do you think the title of this fic refers to? Just looking for some speculation, that's all.**

**Thanks so much for reading! You're all fantastic. Love you!**

**PS Just to see who's reading these: if you read this AN, put a :o) face in your review and I'll dedicate the next chapter to each one who does it!**


	32. Slumber Part 4

**Slumber – Thirty-Second Chapter**  
**Lex's Mansion  
**Clark, Rory and Lex walked through the hallways of his mansion, their destination being the usual one; Lex's study.

"Interesting theory," Lex mused. The twins had just told him about the dream (though not in any detail). Rory had also not told him about Sam, which confused Clark to no end.

"I know it sounds crazy," Clark said self-consciously, "but that's what happened."

"Now you two are saving people in your dreams, too," Lex said mischievously. "I bet a shrink would have a field day with that scenario."

"You don't believe us?" Rory asked.

They entered the study and Lex replied, "I believe that you both believe it, and that's enough for me."

He turned to face them and said with his small smile, "You'll have to forgive me. I have a personal bias against psychotherapy."

"You don't like letting people into your head," Rory said with understanding.

He looked at her with the look he reserved especially for her. "Something like that."

"Well, this girl's in my head until I figure out a way to help her," Clark said.

"Don't you mean our heads? From what you told me, you're both having this dream." Lex hinted he knew they weren't telling him everything. He was used to it, though.

"Yeah, our heads. Right," Rory quickly covered. "Did you find anything on Sara?"

"I made a few calls to Metropolis General," Lex said casually. "It's true, Sara was supposed to wake up."

"So her uncle is drugging her," Clark realised.

"They didn't have any evidence of foul play," Lex verified, "but they've only performed routine blood tests."

"Maybe he's using a drug that's untraceable," Rory suggested.

"Rory, Clark," Lex said, faintly amused. "From all appearances the guy hasn't done anything wrong."

"Yeah, well, the occupants of this room all know that appearances can be deceiving," Rory pointed out.

"Telling the cops you heard it in a dream won't get him arrested," Lex warned.

"We appreciate your help," Clark said while Rory just pursed her lips for a moment and nodded wordlessly.

"Any time," Lex replied.

Clark turned to leave, but Rory's attention had caught suddenly on the glasses on the table.

They were, of course, perfectly intact, but Rory couldn't help but remember the way the power had simply _forced_ itself out of her hand... and that memory brought on others...

"I always liked this sword," she heard Clark saying nervously and snapped out of her flashback. "What is it, some kind of, uh, legendary Samurai sword?"

Lex smiled sardonically. "Hardly."

He took the sword off the wall and expanded, "It's a prop from my favourite Kurosawa movie. 'Throne of Blood.'"

Lex pulled it out of its sheath and examined it for a moment. "I bought it at auction."

Without warning, he swung it at Clark. Rory gasped and Clark flinched. Lex stopped the sword just before it hit him, grinning at their reactions.

"Relax, guys," he said, still smiling. "It can't hurt him. It's not real."

"Right," Clark said, shaken. He managed a small smile.

"You two really have to learn the difference between fantasy and reality," Lex said, sheathing the sword. "Go get some sleep."

**

* * *

Sara's house, an hour or so later  
**The door to the familiar house opened and Nicholas peered out at Clark and Rory.

"Clark, Rory," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "This is a – pleasant surprise."

"We just thought we'd bring Sara some fresh flowers," Clark said, smiling.

Rory showed him a bouquet of lilacs.

"Oh," said Nicholas, sounding pleased. "Come in."

He led them to Sara's room, where Rory handed Nicholas the flowers and Clark watched Sara's unconscious form.

"This is real nice of you two, you know," Nicholas said cheerily.

Rory just nodded, watching Sara just like her brother. "Do you mind if we sit with her for a while?" she asked suddenly.

Her face was so open, so above suspicion, that Nicholas immediately smiled and said, "Not at all."

Rory felt a niggling in the back of her head; Clark was using his x-ray vision. _Cabinet in the corner,_ she thought.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" Nicholas asked.

"Anything with caffeine," Rory smiled.

Nicholas considered this request for a moment. "I think I've got some soda."

"That would be great, thank you," Rory replied sincerely.

Nicholas left the room and Rory went to the door, checking to see if he was gone. She couldn't see him and turned anxiously to Clark.

"It's full of medication," he responded to her unasked inquiry.

She walked over to the cabinet, crouching and running her hands over it. "If I just..." she murmured with feeling. She popped the lock open with her powers and grinned.

Clark was next to her by now. She pulled it open and, looking over all the bottles of medication, she pulled out one. Examining it for a moment, she frowned, pondering the label.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"We have to go. Now," was her only reply.

There was a gust of wind and she was gone. Clark followed in an instant.

**

* * *

In the truck  
**"I still think you should have let me drive," Clark complained.

"Yeah, well, if you'd fallen asleep it would have killed us both, Clark," Rory argued grimly.

"But if I fall asleep, then so will you, and driving would have kept me alert," Clark countered.

"Arguing is keeping you alert," was Rory's short response.

Clark sighed and turned the radio up louder. He blinked against the bright sunlight, his eyes staying closed a little longer each time. Finally, they closed and stayed that way.

He then realised suddenly that they were closed and shook himself, opening them again.

"See, Rory," he protested, "I need a distraction."

There was no reply and Clark looked quickly to his left. Rory was gone.

"Oh, crap crap crap crap crap," he muttered, "we are so –"

Panic overtook him as he remembered that when they crashed in the real world, Rory wouldn't be protected.

Clark swore louder and tried to get to the driver's seat. He couldn't get near it, however, an unseen force was pushing him away.

* * *

Rory snapped her eyes open when Clark said in protest, "See, Rory, I need a distraction."

"Well, let's keep arguing then," she replied peevishly.

She looked over at Clark just as he looked at her. His face widened in horror as he said, "Oh, crap crap crap crap crap."

"What? What is it?" she asked, a sinking feeling overtaking her stomach. She looked ahead and saw the turn coming up.

"-we are so-" Clark was saying. Then, without warning, he tried to jump into the driver's seat.

"Clark!" Rory screeched. "What the hell-?"

Then she tried to turn the wheel.

Understanding when her hands wouldn't touch it, she did the only thing she could think of; the window was wound down, and she pushed herself to it, sitting on it, slowly worming out of the car as Clark got a hold on the steering wheel.

Rory was now standing on the window sill, and she made a quick jump into the tray of the truck.

"Hey Rory," said Sam with a smile. He was sitting in the corner of the tray.

"Hey Sam," Rory smiled back, before doubling over in pain.

"What is it?" he asked in concern, rushing to her side.

"Argh," she groaned, "the truck's crashed in the real world."

Panic overtook concern. "What?"

"We can't turn it at the turn we just passed in the real world," Rory explained, still groaning in pain, "so the truck must've hit it, flipped most likely, and because I've only got tough skin I've probably been injured."

She swallowed and Sam stared at her with wide eyes as she added the word neither wanted to hear.

"Fatally."

Clark sped up suddenly, speeding very fast. "It's no use," Rory croaked. "We won't be able to wake up in time."

"Yes you will," Sam promised, his arms around her.

Rory smiled at him weakly. "Mom and Dad can't take me to the hospital, Sam," she said sadly. "Clark was in the accident too, and he won't have a scratch. My only hope is if I do wake up in time, I can heal it. But I can't do it subconsciously."

As if he'd heard her words, Clark pushed the truck to its limit. They were at Crater Lake before they knew it and Sara was out of the car in a second.

"Sara!" Sam shouted in desperation. "Sara, you have to let us out!"

"Sam," Rory whispered weakly. "Sam, this is it. Sara has to beat him, once and for all, now. This is the last dream."

Sam looked down at her lying in his arms. "I'm not going to let you die, Rory," he said defiantly. "I'd never see you again if you died, either. At least if you live I'll know you're alive somewhere."

Rory laughed, a pained, gurgling laugh. "No you won't. I don't exist, remember?"

"Of course you do," Sam said, almost surprised. "I don't believe that any longer."

"I didn't believe it from the start," Rory murmured. "What are they doing?"

Sam looked up just in time to see Sara yanked into the lake and Clark dive in after her.

"It's all up to you, Clark," he muttered.

A minute passed before Clark walked from the water, holding Sara in his arms. He put her down on the beach and asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Clark," she replied, "but they're in trouble."

"Rory and Sam?" he asked.

"Rory and Lana," she corrected.

Clark stared at her, afraid for his sister and his love. "Sara, you're stronger than he is. You have to stop him. For Rory. And Lana."

Sara looked over at the truck tray, staring at Sam, who was still holding Rory in his arms.

Storm clouds began to cover the sky and Clark turned to see the Traveller, his arms outspread, drifting towards them across the water.

"Sam?" Rory murmured weakly.

"The Traveller's here," he answered, hearing the unasked question.

Rory giggled and coughed spasmodically. "He's like a red rip-off of the Nazgul," she breathed.

Clark went for the Traveller, who grabbed him by the shirt and said in his deep voice, "Death to all those who trespass here!"

"Sara!" Clark cried. "You have to stop him!"

Sara looked terrified as the Traveller approached her.

"He's right, Sara!" Sam cried. "You are stronger than him!"

"They cannot save you," hissed the Traveller.

"He took six years of your life, Sara!" Sam called, upset that he couldn't help her any other way. "Get angry!"

"Don't be afraid!" Clark yelled.

Sara glared at the Traveller, furious. The clouds cleared...

Sam looked down at Rory's prone form. "Rory," he said, his voice hitching. "Rory, it's okay. You'll wake up soon."

Rory's eyes opened and she reached up slowly, brushing a hand over his face. "Goodbye, Sam," she murmured, exhausted. "I'll miss you."

"Farewell, Rory," he replied sadly. "I'll miss you too."

Sam looked back up in time to see Clark using what looked like heat vision on the Traveller. The Traveller exploded and they were whirling through the darkness once again, Rory no longer in his arms...

Sam woke on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "I hope she lives," he said to himself.

"Is it over?" Dean asked gruffly.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "She better live."

"Good," Dean said, ignoring the last part. "I've packed our stuff and loaded the car, let's go."

* * *

Rory woke, gasping for breath, unable to get it. The pain was choking her, reminding her of all that time spent with kryptonite, the time she thought she would die.

Clark was gone, saving Lana. Jonathan and Martha watched their daughter, hoping and praying all they had left.

Blue sparks burst from every part of Rory's body, targeting her broken leg, the huge lacerations in her chest and abdomen caused by the steering wheel, her head, covered in blood, cut by the windscreen.

Finally, her wounds were healed, the only evidence left being that she was covered in fresh blood.

She sat up, coughing. "Mom? Dad?" she asked hoarsely, before her parents were hugging her tightly.**  


* * *

Smallville Medical Centre, that night  
**"Hey Sara," Rory said, smiling at the girl lying on the hospital bed.

"How are you doing?" Clark asked.

"Hi, I'm fine," Sara replied.

"We brought you some fresh lilacs," Clark showed her the bouquet before putting them on her table.

"They're your favourite, right?" Rory asked rhetorically.

"Thanks, Clark, Rory," she said, sounding a little tired, ironically. "That's right, isn't it?"

"I'm surprised you remember," Clark confirmed.

Sara smiled. "We've been through so much together even though we've never officially met." Remembering something, she asked, "Where's Sam?"

Rory looked away and Clark said quickly, "We don't know. He's probably not even real.

"You two are real," she pointed out. "I still don't know how I got into your dreams."

"The important thing is that you're safe," Rory replied. "And awake."

"You're obviously such special people," Sara said quietly, wondering. "I saw some of the things you can do."

Clark smiled hesitantly and said by way of explanation, "Well, in our dreams we're all super."

"I just-" Sara started, before stopping and changing course. "I know it's none of my business. I know dreams are usually private..."

"No, actually, I'm curious to hear your perspective," Clark responded, sitting on her bed. Rory went round to the other side of the bed, standing.

"Someone who's clearly in love, but resists it," she told him, smiling slightly. "Lana, right?"

"Hah!" Rory made a triumphant noise. "It's not just me, Clark."

"It's a long, complicated story," Clark told Sara quietly, ignoring Rory. "Besides, what did you think of Rory?"

Sara looked up at the other girl, who watched her with hooded eyes and a face shadowed in darkness. "I saw someone who's torn between two paths, one of which she thinks she can't take, and the other she knows she mustn't."

"Still cryptic, Sara?" Rory said, her smile not reaching her eyes.

Sara smiled back and said, "You're a good person, Rory. You can stop him."

Rory whispered, as if she didn't know she was saying it aloud, "I don't think I can."

"Who?" Clark asked.

"It's Rory's secret, Clark," Sara responded. "If she wants you to know, you will."

Clark looked at his sister and saw the same thing Sara had; a face shadowed in darkness.

How long it would stay that way, he didn't know.

**

* * *

A/N End of another chapter! I realised the other day that all I really need to do of the rest of the third season is two more things, then we can move on to the (hopefully) long anticipated fourth season.**

**I'm going to repeat the smily-face challenge to see who's reading these. You will get the next chapter dedicated to you!**

**Question:  
Since nobody answered the last one, I'm repeating it because I'm actually very curious. What do you think the title refers to? Be specific, please!**

**Love you,**


	33. Relic

**Okay, I have to add this chapter because I realised after doing the others that this one ties up a nitpick later on. So yeah.**

**By the way, this is a reallllly long chapter, and I couldn't be bothered breaking it up. Deal with it! :o)**

**

* * *

Relic – Thirty-Third Chapter  
**Clark and Rory stared at the old, yellowing newspaper. Lana had just told them about her great-aunt Louise, who had supposedly been murdered by her husband Dexter.

Dexter claimed, however, that he didn't murder his wife or the strange blonde woman found dead next to her. His story was that a drifter had murdered both of them.

There were three pictures in the article. One was of Louise, who looked just like Lana. One was a picture of the strange blonde woman, who looked just like Rory. And the last was a police sketch of the drifter, who looked just like Clark.

"What happened to this guy, this drifter?" Clark asked Lana, looking away from the paper. There was only one photo of the blonde woman, and it showed her dead. Her resemblance to Rory was making him feel nervous and sick.

"They never caught him," Lana answered. "Dexter said that people assumed he made the story up to cover his tracks."

Clark turned to face her, handing Rory the newspaper. "But you believe him."

"Well, why would he lie to me?" Lana asked rhetorically. "It's not like he's gonna get the last 40 years of his life back."

"Lana, convicted murderers spend half their day trying to convince people they're innocent," Clark said sceptically.

Rory was reading the article. "Lana," she tried to get her friend's attention. "Lana, it says here that the blonde girl was a stranger in town too, and that the first time she was seen was when she was with the drifter."

"So?" Lana asked.

"Well, the way this is written it sounds like they knew each other," Rory explained, looking back down at the newspaper. "Why would the drifter kill someone he knew?"

Lana bit her lip, unsure.

"But, Clark," Rory went on, changing arguments, "this drifter looks just like you, and the blonde woman's body was actually found. Several people had seen them together. So unless somebody has the power to predict the future-"

"Then there's a good chance that he was real," Lana finished. "He could have been your grandfather. Even your father. Maybe they were your parents or grandparents, maybe, and her death was an accident?"

"That's impossible," Clark said, sure but upset.

"Why?" Lana asked. "You two must have come from somewhere. It's not like you just fell out of the sky."

Clark and Rory flinched. Rory stared down at the newspaper and noticed something strange:

Both the drifter and the poor, dead stranger wore medallions around their necks.

**

* * *

Kawatche Caves  
**"I think Lana's right," Rory said, her voice echoing through the caves. She, Clark and Jonathan shone their flashlights all over the walls, looking for one of the drawings. "It is Jor-El."

"From 1961?" Jonathan asked sceptically.

"These cave walls say that Kryptonians have been here before," Clark pointed out. "Why not our father?"

"Clark, Rory," Jonathan said, almost exasperated. "Don't you think you're trying just a little bit too hard to make a connection here?"

"Dad, they were wearing identical medallions," Rory reminded him. "The same symbol on them is Kryptonian."

"Okay," Jonathan allowed. "Let's just say it was Jor-El. From what I know about him, it's not that hard to believe that he could kill someone."

"Yeah," Rory tolerated his idea, "maybe Jor-El did kill them. But he knew the woman. That means she was most likely Kryptonian, and from what we know he was only condescending to humans."

"Why would he kill a fellow Kryptonian and someone who was probably his friend?" Clark finished her theory.

Jonathan sighed and was about to keep arguing when Rory saw what they were looking for.

"Clark!"

She jumped effortlessly onto a little ledge to get a better look at the painting. It matched the symbol on the medallions exactly.

"I knew we'd seen it down here," she said excitedly.

Clark joined her on the ledge and reached out to touch it in synchronisation with her. They contacted it at the same time and the symbol began to move, opening up a hole in the wall.

Clark and Rory glanced at each other before reaching into it in unison. A bright golden light shone from it and they were assaulted with a series of sharp images going too fast to comprehend.

_A woman's red lips. A ring with a capital T. Clark and Lana – no, Louise and Jor-El, kissing passionately. A man attacking another man outside the barn. The Talon's marquee saying 'Natalie Wood' and finally a gun firing._

The twins returned to the present, disoriented. They pulled their hands out of the hole and stumbled off the ledge on to the ground.

"Rory," Jonathan said, anxious. "Clark. Are you okay?"

They didn't answer him, just opened their hands. The two medallions sat there, looking exactly as the pictures depicted them.

"What are they?" Jonathan asked, awestruck.

Neither Clark nor Rory answered him. Instead they looked back up at the drawing.

**

* * *

Main Street  
**"Those images we saw must have been from the past," Clark told Pete. Rory nodded in agreement.

"Clark, you guys really need to lay off the light night television," Pete laughed, sceptical.

"Pete, we're not kidding," Rory said seriously. "There were all these flashes, but they went so fast we couldn't really see any of them."

A couple of people walked past the three of them, separating the twins from Pete.

"Excuse me," murmured one of them.

Clark and Rory stepped out of the way. Clark rested his arm on a mailbox and Rory put her hand on it, leaning.

There was a flash of white behind her eyes and_ suddenly Rory was walking down Main Street. She tried to stop and gawk at her surroundings, but her body was no longer under her control._

_She realised, as the body-that-wasn't-hers looked around, that she was in 1961. The cars around were all from the 1950's and the people all wore clothing that belong in the early 60's._

_Her body paused in front of a shop window to look at her reflection. Rory saw herself, but dressed in a pretty 60's style dress. Her hair was long and thick as it had been before Metropolis, but it was also curly._

_She felt her full lips curve into a smile. She turned back to the street, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Again, she wasn't controlling her actions, and her nervous habits had changed._

_Looking around once more, she saw the Talon. Its marquee read Splendor in the Grass, Natalie Wood._

_A familiar face came out of the Talon. It was Lana, dressed in 1960's clothing with a 60's bob. She was reading a magazine._

_Louise, Rory realised. Thinking of something else, she reached out for Clark. He was nowhere to be found._

_A man ran up to Louise. Rory leaned on the mailbox she would touch over 4 decades in the future and watched the drama unfold._

_The man pointed a gun at Louise as Rory watched calmly._

_"Give it over!" he yelled, gesturing to her purse._

_"Get away from me!" Louise cried, shrinking away from him._

_The man pushed her to the ground, waving the gun at her._

_"Give me the money!" the man continued to yell._

_Rory saw a man run across the street. He blurred a little, and Rory realised that they must be Kryptonian. She felt herself stiffen and stand up straight._

_The Kryptonian grabbed the mugger and threw him into a lamppost as the police pulled up. He turned to Louise and helped her on to her feet._

_Rory saw his face and felt a grin spread across her face. It was Clark! Actually, it was Jor-El. But if she was seeing everything from the stranger's point of view, Clark was probably watching from Jor-El's point of view._

_A man got out of the police car and grabbed the mugger. Rory tilted her head to the side and could suddenly hear everything the people on the other side of the street were saying._

_"My hero," said Louise, awestruck._

_"You don't strike me as someone who usually needs saving," Jor-El replied._

_"Thank you," Louise whispered, her eyes not leaving his face._

_"Did you see that?" the mugger asked the policeman. "He could have killed me!"_

_"Tell it to the judge," the policeman replied rudely._

_"Thank you," Louise said to Jor-El, smiling sweetly. "I'm Louise."_

_"You can call me Joe," he responded, smiling in return._

_Rory felt herself roll her eyes. Evidently, she and the stranger had more than just looks in common. It also looked to be the same with Clark and Jor-El; both of them were in love with Lana._

_"Well, Joe," Louise interrupted her thoughts, "You're the most excitement we've had all year."_

_The policeman walked back over to the pair, interrupting them._

_"Well, I guess we owe you our gratitude," he said to 'Joe'. "Hi, I'm Sheriff Billy Tate."_

_They shook hands and Sheriff Tate remarked, "That's some reflexes you got there."_

_"They kinda surprised me too," Joe replied._

_"I haven't seen you around Smallville before," Tate said, sounding friendly still._

_"I'm just passing through on my way home," Joe told him._

_"Lucky you," Louise said, her eyes shining._

_"Forgive Louise," the Sheriff said kindly. "She's got stars in her eyes. Always has."_

_Joe looked at Louise and said quietly, "There's nothing wrong with that."_

_They shared another quiet moment in which the world seemed to disappear. Rory sighed and leaned on the mailbox again._

_Yet another man drove up and got out of his car quickly. "Louise?" he asked nervously._

_Louise looked away from Joe, annoyance passing over her face._

_"Everything all right?" the new man asked._

_"You go on home, Louise," the Sheriff smiled at her. "I know how Dex hates to miss his bridge game. I'll drop by and get your statement."_

_So this was Dexter, Lana's great-uncle. He didn't look like he could kill a mosquito that was biting him, let alone two women._

_"See you around," Louise said to Joe, sounding unhappy. She walked to the car slowly, looking back at him once before getting into the car. She stared at him as her husband drove off._

_"I appreciate your help," Tate said genuinely to Joe. He walked back to his police car and drove away also._

_Joe stared after Louise. Rory took that opportunity to cross the street, circling around behind him._

_She put her hands over his eyes and trilled cheerfully, "Guess who?"_

_Joe grabbed her arms and spun to face her, a huge grin spreading over his face as he recognised her._

_"Kara!" he laughed, hugging her tightly. He pulled away just as fast, frowning now. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I snuck out, little brother," she said, grinning back at him. "After all, I knew you'd be lonely down here."_

_"But what about the wedding?" he asked._

_She waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure Gar-On will survive without me for a few days. More to the point, the wedding isn't for months."_

_Joe smiled at her and said, "I'm glad you're here, Kara."_

_"And I'm glad to be here," she smiled right back. "Besides, the clothes here are so pretty. And the people are so friendly. As you've already realised," she poked him in the shoulder. "Louise, was it?"_

_"Oh, be quiet," he scolded._

_She smiled up at him and _there was another flash of bright white light.

"Clark, Rory, what's going on?" Pete asked them.

"It's like we were back in '61," Rory told him breathlessly, disoriented. "I was down there where Kara was." She pointed down the street.

"And I was right here where Joe was," Clark said.

"Kara? Joe?" Pete asked in disbelief.

"They're the names of the drifter and his sister," Rory explained. "Pete, do you remember when we were in the cave and got all those flashes?"

Clark took his medallion out of his pocket and examined it. "You think the medallions downloaded us with their memories, you with Kara's and me with Joe's."

"And when we touch something they touched or something that belonged to them, it triggers a flash," Rory finished. "Yeah."

"Right," Pete said sceptically.

"Louise was here too," Clark said, remembering as he walked around. "The drifter, he saved her."

"While his sister watched from across the road," Rory recalled.

"Well, of course they did!" Pete laughed at his friends. "Back here in the twenty-first century, we call that a daydream."

"There has to be a way-"

"-to figure out if what we saw was real," Clark finished unconsciously for Rory.

"You guys are really creepy when you do that, you know that?" Pete asked.

**

* * *

The Torch  
**"Since when can you take police records out of City Hall?" Clark asked Chloe. Rory blew the dust off the old book.

"Since I caught the clerk and his girlfriend playing cops and robbers while on the job," Chloe grinned.

They all laughed.

"Well, the robbery should be around June 1961," Rory said, opening the book. "That's when the movie was playing at the Talon."

"Okay, I don't mean to give you the third degree, but how do you guys know all of these-"

Clark interrupted her. "Chloe, we told you it was just a hunch that the drifter and his sister were there."

"Yeah, but the robbery outside the Talon with the Natalie Wood movie playing?" Chloe asked. "That's a little more detailed than your average hunch. Besides, how do you know that they were brother and sister?"

"Well, as curator of the Wall of Weird, just go with us on this one," Rory smiled.

Rory sat at the desk as Chloe said, "Okay."

Rory continued flipping through the book until she found the right pages. Chloe and Clark leant over her as she said, "There's some pages missing, all from the day of Louise's murder."

"Someone gets a D in subtlety," Chloe said sardonically.

Rory turned a page and said excitedly, "Here, the robbery."

"You see our heroic drifter or his sister anywhere?" Chloe asked.

"No, but look at the name of the robber," Clark said and pointed.

"Lachlan Luthor," Rory read.

"That's Lex's grandfather," Chloe said.

Rory and Clark looked at their friend suspiciously.

"Oh, come on," Chloe sighed in exasperation. "I had a 3 megabyte file on Lex. I know his favourite cereal."

"Really?" Rory brightened. "What is it?"

Clark glared at her and she looked away, her smile shrinking as she bit her lip.

"Maybe he knows something?" Chloe continued speculatively.

"Well, you're gonna have to find out," Clark told her. "We gotta meet Lana, Nell found some of Louise's things in the attic."

"Clark, this is where I'm gonna have to bail," Chloe said, looking upset. "The last time I researched the Luthors it almost got Lex killed."

"Please, Chloe," Rory asked her. "You're going to have to deal with him sooner or later."

The twins left the Torch, leaving Chloe standing there with an indecisive look on her face.

**

* * *

The Loft  
**"Finally," Rory rolled her eyes as Clark came up the steps to join her and Lana. "You took your time."

"Hey," Lana said, smiling at him.

"Hi," Clark replied. "Listen, Lana, I'm sorry I was so defensive this morning."

"You don't have to apologise," Lana told him sweetly. "I kinda dumped a lot on you at once."

"I guess when you're adopted, you dream about where you came from and what your birth parents were like," Clark tried to explain.

"Your biggest hope is that they were good people, or better yet rich," Rory joked.

"And the biggest nightmare is that they were criminals," Clark finished.

"But I really don't think the drifter killed them," Rory said. "After all, the blonde was his sister. Why would he have killed her?"

"How do you know-" Lana stopped herself, remembering all the strange things about her friends. "Never mind."

Rory was looking through the box of Louise's things again as she said disappointedly, "There's not much here."

"I'm sure we'll find something," Lana said hopefully.

Clark pulled out several pictures and started looking through them, while Rory pulled out a piece of paper and began to read it.

"It's a love letter," Rory realised. "It must be from Dexter." She continued reading and said, a little uncomfortable, "Wow. Who knew he could be so, uh, passionate?"

Clark leaned over and began to read as well, lifting his eyebrows.

At the bottom of the letter was a cursive letter J, the only signature.

"Only an initial?" Lana asked, confused. Dexter didn't have an initial J or a nickname.

Rory put the letter back into the box as Lana watched uneasily. She saw a glint of something in there and pulled out a pearl necklace.

She turned to Clark and asked, "Could you?"

Lana turned away again and pulled her hair out of the way so he could clasp the necklace.

There was another sudden flash of white light and _Rory found herself in the Kawatche caves, wearing a different dress in a similar 60's style as the last one._

_She wandered through the caves, wondering what Clark was doing._

_"Who are you?"_

_Rory-as-Kara turned to see a young Native American man standing there. "I could ask you the same thing," she replied._

_"I asked first," he said, scowling._

_"My name is Kara," she told him. "Your turn."_

_"I'm Jacob Willowbrook," he said shortly. "What are you doing down here?"_

_She turned away from him, looking over the paintings. "Trying to learn about those of my people who have visited your planet."_

_She looked over her shoulder at him, a charming and mischievous grin on her face. His eyes widened and he stared at her with a sort of hunger._

_"You can't be," he whispered, awestruck._

_Kara pointed to a symbol nearby and said, "This one describes the legend of Naman, his sister Shumam and their enemy Segeeth."_

_"You could have learnt that from any member of the Kawatche tribe," he said cuttingly._

_"Really?" she asked. "How did I get down here, then?"_

_"That's a good point," he allowed unwillingly. "I've been looking for the cave entrance ever since I was fourteen."_

_"How did you come in through the roof?" Kara asked in surprise. "You're not invulnerable, are you?"_

_He stared at her in shock now. "You came in through the roof?"_

_"Of course I did," she replied casually._

_Jacob looked up at the ceiling and said, stunned, "But it's hundreds of feet up!"_

_She waved a hand dismissively. "Your legends don't talk about our invulnerability?"_

_"No," he said, staring at her once again. "They talk about Naman, who will have the strength of ten men and be able to shoot fire from his eyes, and Shumam, who will be faster than the fastest animal alive and be able to heal injuries with a touch."_

_She looked at him quickly. "Heal?"_

_"That's the legend," he said. "Why?"_

_"Because I thought-" she paused. "My brother and I, we have strength, and speed, and fire-eyes, but we can't heal."_

_"Then that means you're not them," Jacob said confidently. "Besides, I saw no rain of fire to signal your arrival."_

_"True," she murmured. "Then they're not the present, but the future."_

_She paused at an empty wall. Kara focused her eyes and Rory started when she saw through the wall._

_"There's a cavern behind here," Kara announced. She ran her hand over the wall and said, "I wonder what it's for?"  
_  
The now-familiar flash of white illuminated Rory's mind and she was back in her own body.

"Clark?" Lana asked, looking at him. She looked back at Rory and saw her acting the same way as her brother; dazed and disoriented.

Clark stood up and walked away from the couch. He turned back suddenly and said quickly, "I don't think that love letter's from her husband. I think it's from the drifter. They were in love."

**

* * *

The next day  
**"This is the barn where Louise was shot," Clark told Rory and Lana. He walked through the barn, touching all kinds of things – but no flash of white.

"Clark, it's been over forty years," Lana pointed out. "What do you expect to find here?"

Rory had told Clark all about her flashback last night after Lana left, and Clark had explained his in much less detail. Rory was glad about that, though.

Rory noticed a large object covered with a dirty brown tarp. She went over to it and pulled off the tarp revealing a dusty blue 50's style car.

"Clark!" she called over her shoulder. Clark joined her, looking at the car. In unison, they placed their hands on the car.

Another flash of white obscured her vision _and then she was walking through the town. It was night._

_Suddenly she heard voices coming from the nearby building. She drew back into the shadows and activated her superhearing to listen._

_"Remember our deal," said a voice she recognised dimly. She just couldn't put a name to it..._

_"Yeah, yeah, I know," spat a rougher voice she also recognised vaguely. "Kill the drifter, kill his pretty little friend, leave Louise alive."_

_Rory-as-Kara backed away, turning and running at superspeed as her pulse quickened and her breath became shorter with fear._

_She supersped through the night, looking for her brother desperately._

_She stopped suddenly in the middle of a field. Realising that her superhearing would help, she activated it once again and listened._

_Random snatches of conversation whirled through her ears. She heard Louise's voice and was just about to work out where it was coming from when someone yelled her name._

_She supersped to that voice instead, running as fast as she could._

_She stopped in front of Jacob who looked stunned. Evidently, she'd just appeared out of nowhere to him._

_"Kara," he said quickly. "I think I know how you did that to the cave."_

_She kept looking around nervously. "Make it quick, we have to leave now."_

_"Telekinesis," Jacob said shortly. "There are records of Kryptonians who have lots of powers, not just the ones you and your brother have. One of these is telekinesis. In the legend of Numan and Shumam, they have completely different powers."_

_"Hurry up, Jacob, there's a man trying to kill me and my brother, and if he finds out about us-"_

_Jacob interrupted her. "They both have speed and strength, but apart from that it's all different, and each power for them goes with a power that the other has."_

_"So each power that Numan has is paired to one of Shumam's?" Kara asked, finding herself getting interested._

_"Exactly. Healing goes with heat-vision, mind-reading with x-ray vision, element control with superhearing and telekinesis with invulnerability," he explained quickly._

_"So I've got telekinesis now, couldn't you have just said that straight out?" she said in exasperation._

_"Yes, you have telekinesis, but somehow it's been swapped for your invulnerability," Jacob said, sounding panicky._

_Kara looked at him in shock. "How do you know-?"_

_He grabbed her arm and held it out in front of her. "There's a bruise on your arm," Jacob said. "One of those ones you don't even remember how you got, I bet. But there's a bruise, and that means-"_

_"That the man coming after us can hurt me," Rory-in-Kara said. Rory could feel her counterpart's fear. "I have to go, now."_

_"Wait," he caught her arm. "Let me come and help. I know this area, I know where Louise lives, I can get you there fast."_

_"I can run faster than a bullet, Jacob," she said icily._

_"I just want one ride," Jacob admitted sheepishly. "I know it's selfish, but if I tell you where Louise lives, will you-"_

_"Done. Where?"_

_"A house just over there," he pointed._

_Kara grabbed his arm and slung him onto her back. She ran, holding tightly to him so he didn't fall off._

_They made it to the barn and she let him go. He staggered back a little as she ran into the barn, hearing voices inside._

_"It's not fair. We should-" Louise was saying as Kara burst in._

_"Joe!" she cried, panicky._

_Jor-El spun to face her. "Kara? What-"_

_"We have to leave now," she interrupted. "There's a man coming to kill us."_

_Jacob stumbled into the barn behind her and said excitedly, "That was so much fun!"_

_They ignored him._

_"What?" Louise asked, clutching at Joe. "Why?"_

_"It doesn't matter," Kara said quickly. "Jor-El, we have to leave."_

_"Jor-El?"_

_"Kara," Jor-El said, confused. "They can't hurt us, remember?"_

_"Something happened to me, and my invulnerability's been switched for-"_

_Something hit her in the back and she shuddered. Pain lanced through her and her eyes widened. Sound started to get fuzzy and she fell forwards. Jor-El caught her and turned her over, his face full of an unbearable sadness._

_She stared up at her favourite brother and smiled weakly. Rory knew – she was dying. This was it._

_Apparently, Kara knew too. "Tell everyone, I'm so sorry," she stuttered feebly._

_"Kara, Kara, no, don't go, please don't go," Jor-El rambled meaninglessly, resorting to her name when he lost track._

_"And I love them. Gar-On... Mother will be so disappointed," she murmured. "Goodbye, Jor-El."_

_She felt her head loll back and somehow rose outside of the now dead body._

_Jor-El stared at his sister's lifeless body, pain, sadness and rage warring on his face. He touched her face gently, then slid his hand to the chains on her neck._

_He pulled the two chains out of her shirt, examining them. One was the medallion, and the other was unfamiliar. It looked vaguely like the Kryptonian symbol for preservation._

_Jor-El pulled the medallion off her neck, breaking the chain as he did so._

_He put her body down gently and stood, staring at the killer murderously._

_Rory recognised Lachlan Luthor. He'd obviously just been waiting for a good shot at Jor-El because as soon as he stood, Luthor began to fire at him, again and again._

_None of the bullets did anything, of course._

_Jacob crouched next to Kara's body, staring at her mournfully. Blood stained her white dress, but there was an almost peaceful look on her face._

_Lachlan dropped the gun and ran out of the barn. Jor-El looked over at Louise to make sure she was all right and the blood drained from his face._

_Louise slowly looked down at her shirt and saw a wound there, dripping blood on to her shirt._

_"Joe?" she whispered as she too began to fall._

_Jor-El was already crying from his sister's death. He turned and caught Louise just as her legs gave out._

_"No, Louise," he said, tears falling down his face faster and faster. "I can't lose both of you. Don't leave me."_

_"I'll never leave," she whispered weakly. "I love you."_

_Her eyelids fluttered closed._

_"Louise..." he murmured, crying harder. "No, no, Louise."_

_He hugged her tighter and then finally let her go._

_Jacob stood behind him and said, "I'm sorry."_

_Jor-El swallowed. "I can't take Louise with me," he said, knowing it sounded insane. "She belongs here, on this planet. But Kara-"_

_Jacob shook his head. "They'll be looking for you. You have to go, now. I'll take care of Kara's body, and one day you can come back for it."_

_Jor-El stared at him, tears continuing to stream down his face. "Thank you," he said quietly. Then he ran out of the barn._

_Rory could feel the flash of white beginning its approach, but just before it burst over her mind's eye, she saw Jacob run out the back door._

"Rory?" she heard Lana ask nervously. "Clark?"

Rory saw Clark holding his hand just centimetres from Lana's face.

"I know who killed them," they said in synchronisation.

**

* * *

Smallville High  
**"I don't mean to rain on your parade, guys," Chloe said sceptically as she walked down the hallway with Lana, Rory and Clark, "but Lachlan Luthor was in jail at the time of the murder."

"It was him," Rory insisted.

"We _know_ it was him," Clark agreed.

"How?" Lana asked, frustrated. "You can't expect us to keep following these weird 'hunches' without telling us what's going on."

Clark stopped outside the door to the Torch and turned to face them. "It's crazy," he warned them.

"As in, completely and utterly nuts," Rory added.

"You passed crazy about four random clues ago," Chloe pointed out caustically.

Clark and Rory looked at one another. Rory shrugged and Clark said, "Ever since we read that newspaper article we've been having memories from 1961."

Lana and Chloe looked at each other, baffled. Clark raised his arms in an 'I-told-you-so' gesture and walked into the Torch.

"I just love saying I told you so," Rory said with a grin on her face as she followed him.

"What?" Lana asked Clark, still disbelieving.

"It's this really weird thing where I see the events through the eyes of the strange blonde, Kara," Rory explained. "And Clark sees them through the eyes of her brother, aka Joe the drifter."

"Well, maybe it's reincarnation?" Chloe suggested. "You know, past lives?"

Rory looked a little sceptical. "No, I don't think so."

"Or, uh, genetic memory," Chloe said thoughtfully. "Science has theorised that we store our ancestors' memories in our DNA."

Clark looked thoughtful at that.

Chloe turned her attention to her computer screen and said, surprised, "Wow, guys. Wherever your hunches are coming from, they're eerily accurate."

"What?" Rory walked around to stand next to her and look at the screen.

"I asked the Ledger to email me the newspaper's police blotter from the day that was missing in the logbook," Chloe explained.

Rory looked straight at one very important detail. "Lachlan was released from jail the day Louise was murdered." She looked up at Clark and said, "Well, we already knew that, Kara heard it."

"He only spent two nights in jail for armed robbery?" Lana asked incredulously.

Chloe walked over to the file cabinet as Clark said, "Yeah, and look at the name of the officer that released him."

"Billy Tate," Rory read, understanding.

Chloe handed Clark a picture and said, "More affectionately known as our honourable Mayor William Tate."

**

* * *

Mayor Tate's Office  
**"Dex and Louise were my best friends," Mayor Tate said sadly, staring at the picture Lana held. It depicted Dex and Louise on their wedding day, with Tate standing next to them. "Arresting him was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

He looked up at Lana and smiled reminiscently. "You bear a striking resemblance to your great-aunt," he told her. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

Lana shifted uneasily.

"Mayor Tate," Clark distracted him, "can you remember booking someone named Lachlan Luthor? He was released the same day Louise was killed."

Clark glanced at Rory, who nodded infinitesimally. She concentrated on him, filtering both the sound of his mind and the sound of his voice through her head.

"It's hard to keep track of all the arrests that I've made," his voice said nervously. His mind said, panicky, _They can't possibly know anything. They definitely can't prove anything. Luthor is dead, the drifter's gone, his friend's dead... nobody knows except me._

Rory stopped concentrating. Tate sounded guilty enough to her. Now all they needed was proof, which, as he'd thought, would be very hard to find.

She wandered around the room, bored, soon noticing a shelf covered in certificates and trophies. She looked at it dispassionately until she saw the certificate proclaiming Tate mayor of Smallville.

His signature was on it. Rory had never seen it before, and it shocked her. The cursive letter 'T' that began his last name was identical to the initial at the bottom of Louise's love letter.

_That's it,_ Rory realised. _Until now, Tate had means but no motive. But if he was in love with Louise, then he planned to kill the drifter and frame Dex, effectively removing his two rivals._

"Careful with that, young lady," Tate said, making her jump. He put his hand on her shoulder and the flash of white obscured her vision.

_She crouched over the hole that Clark had fallen through, discovering the caves. Glancing around, she jumped into it, falling gracefully through the earth._

_She landed on the ground, absorbing the impact easily, and began to walk through the caves to the empty wall she had noticed the last time she was there._

_A noise in the corner startled her and she whirled to face it. The boy from before, Jacob, struggled to his feet, his face red with anger._

_"What are you doing here?" he asked angrily. "I don't care who you are, I told you not to come back!"_

_"There's something I have to do here," she told him. "Does anybody else know about these caves?"_

_"No," he said. "I only just found them, and I can't think of how to tell anyone."_

_"Good," she said decisively. "You can't tell anyone about them. I want you to protect them until the prophesised ones come."_

_"Numan and Shumam?" he asked._

_"Not just your Numan and Shumam," she said mysteriously. "There is an ancient prophecy of my people I am about to write on this wall."_

_Jacob sighed crossly. "All ancient cultures have ancient prophecies. What is this, one of those action pictures they show at that coffee shop in town?"_

_Kara smiled. "The prophecy states that one day, the Eight Kryptonians will come to this planet to fight the forces of darkness and restore peace to the universe. Numan and Shumam are just two of them."_

_"So what does that have to do with me protecting these caves?" Jacob inquired, still angry._

_"I'm going to write the prophecy on this wall," she explained. "I'm also going to leave an indent just here," she traced an octagon in the middle, "which will allow them to harness their culture and, eventually, reach the cavern beyond."_

_"So you want me to stop people getting in until they get here," Jacob realised. "I don't know if I can do that."_

_"All you have to do is make sure nobody knows they're here," Kara told him._

_Jacob hesitated for a long moment. Rory felt Kara wait patiently, almost as if she knew he would accept._

_"All right," Jacob gave in. "I'll help you."_

_"Thank you."_

_"So how do you plan to carve this on to the wall?" he asked._

_She showed him her hand. Her nails were long and perfectly oval. "My nails are incredibly strong and hard," she explained. "I'm going to scratch it into the wall, and I'm going to do it at superspeed so I get it done fast."_

_Jacob grinned with all the enthusiasm of a teenage boy._

_Rory was also excited. This explained everything! Although the prophecy thing was strange... why hadn't Jor-El told them about it?_

_Kara began her work, moving in a blur. She wasn't as fast as Rory, but she was still faster than the average jet plane._

_Finally she finished, stepping away from the wall and smiling in satisfaction._

_"Wow," Jacob said, impressed. "And that says the prophecy?"_

_Kara shook her head. "Not the way the symbols are currently aligned. It's just nonsense at the moment. But if you realign them using the key meant to go in the indent, then it will."_

_Jacob nodded. His reply was drowned out by the sound of rocks groaning as they shifted._

_Jacob looked at the entrance he'd come through, shocked. Kara held her hand to her head and blinked a few times, disoriented._

_Blue energy burst from her, striking the roof just outside the entrance. Rocks crashed to the ground, sealing them in._

_"What the hell did you do?" Jacob yelled, his voice echoing off the walls._

_"I don't know!" she yelled back. "I've got no idea what that was!"_

_Jacob closed his eyes and said calmly, "How did you get in."_

_"There's a hole, up there," she pointed. "I jumped."_

_"Well, if you get us out of here, I'll try and work out what just happened," he said._

_She walked over to him, grabbed him by the hand and positioned them both under the hole._

_"Hold on," she said. She put her arms around him, under his arms, and flew._

White obscured Rory's vision and she returned to the office.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily. She turned to face Tate and said, smiling, "We should really go..."

"Yeah, that's a-a good idea," Clark managed.

They almost ran out and Lana followed them, confused.

* * *

The next vision took place when Clark touched their grandfather's old gun.

_Rory watched as Jacob snuck into the morgue and took Kara's body. The other, strange medallion was still on her neck._

_He put her into an ancient, beat-up truck and drove far outside Smallville._

_He stopped in a clearing Rory recognised. If she'd really been there, all the blood would have drained from her face._

_She'd first met Sam, in Clark's dream, in this clearing._

_Memories rushed over her and she gasped._

_The moment disappeared and she watched as Jacob dug a large hole. He lowered Kara's body into it and covered it up once again._

_Then he left._

The final vision Clark had, Rory saw nothing. She'd already seen everything to do with her storyline, everything that would help her.

Clark came up with a plan to force Tate to confess to his crime.

He would dress up as Joe and Rory as Kara. Then, they would appear as 'ghosts' to him and tell him that they would haunt him until he confessed.

Rory even thought to cover the old dress she wore with a red, blood-like substance.

The plan worked perfectly. Tate was put in jail and Dexter was freed. There was only one more thing Rory wanted to do.

She drove the truck out to the clearing. Hugging herself tightly as she got out, she walked over to where Jacob had buried Kara.

Rory wished for a moment she'd brought Clark, or that she could suddenly develop x-ray vision.

_But telekinesis will work just as well,_ she mused.

Concentrating, she shifted the dirt to the sides, looking for the body of her aunt.

She dug deep into the earth, far deeper than Jacob had put the body.

But there was absolutely nothing there.

**

* * *

A/N Gasp! What is this? It probably won't get discussed for a very very long time... but still. :o)  
**


	34. Whisper

**This chapter is dedicated to FranknNancyHardy for actually answering the question at the bottom! Thank you!**

**Whisper – Thirty-Fourth Chapter  
Smallville Jewellers  
**Rory looked around. Finding the perfect present for their mom was getting to be really hard. Everything she would like was way out of their price range, and anything in their price range was made of fake jewels. More often than not, it was kryptonite.

She leant on the counter and smiled at the owner. "Hey, Mr. O'Malley," she said. "Clark and I are looking for something our mom might like?"

Mr. O'Malley smiled back. "Actually, the last time she was in here, she made a point of trying these on." He showed her a small jewellery box with a pretty pair of earrings in it.

Rory checked the price and winced. "Did she try on anything that didn't have four numbers in the price?"

He laughed and told her, "Well, I just got in some nice costume pieces from a local designer. Quite unique."

He pulled out another jewellery box and opened it, revealing a pin with a small green stone as its centrepiece...

"Straight from outer space," Mr. O'Malley was saying, but Rory couldn't hear him very well, her ears were ringing too loudly as pain washed over her.

She managed to smile once again, backing away. "Thanks, but I'll keep looking," she said breathlessly, walking away.

Standing still as she waited for the pain to leave, she noticed a boy, about her age, standing on the other side of the shop. He had dark hair and seemed nervous, glancing around a lot.

Then, he did something very strange. He put his fingers to the sides of his throat, on either side of his voice box. There was a crunching sound, then a low rumbling. It looked like his voice box was bouncing up and down.

Rory knew then that something was wrong, and went to Clark's side as the boy removed his fingers from his throat and a piercing, high-pitched noise emanated from him.

The sound tore at her ears, hurting her and everyone else it seemed as they all screamed and covered their ears.

A man ran in, carrying a gun. Everyone was too distracted to stop him, or see Clark focusing his heat vision on the man. The counter nearby shattered, sending the kryptonite pin whirling through the air.

"Clark!" Rory yelled as he released the heat vision at the gun, making the man drop it.

Some of the heat bursts hit the jewel, reflecting back onto Clark and Rory's faces. A bolt of green light surged back to hit them directly in the eyes.

They screamed in unison, falling to the floor and clutching at their eyes. Rory lay on the floor, sobbing.

She'd never felt pain like that before – normally kryptonite-induced pain lingered, drifting away slowly, clinging to her with all its might, but this pain came and was gone in a second.

She heard Clark asking for her and twisted her head to see him. That was when she realised what the pain had distracted her from.

She _couldn't_ see.

"Clark?" she heard her trembling voice ask. "Where-"

"Here," he replied, finding her hand and grasping it tightly.

The noises around her were confusing as anything, and she turned her head from side to side, trying to work out what was going on.

She felt someone at her side suddenly. She recognised Lana as soon as she spoke, "Rory! Clark! Are you okay?"

Rory's voice was still trembling as she answered, "No."

"Lana, our eyes…" Clark trailed off, still shell-shocked.

"We can't see," Rory finished quietly.

**

* * *

Kent Farm, that night**  
Martha and Jonathan helped Clark and Rory sit on the couch.

"There, sweetheart," Martha said comfortingly. "Sit back, there you go."

Rory reached behind her, adjusting some of the cushions to make herself more comfortable.

She heard Martha pulling Jonathan away, saying to him quietly, "Jonathan, we have to do something."

"I know," he replied softly. "But what? Their retinas were scarred by the heat burst. You saw the doctor. He was baffled."

"He wasn't baffled, you handcuffed him," Martha corrected angrily.

"The last time we trusted a doctor, she sold Clark's blood to Lionel Luthor," Jonathan reminded her, just as angry.

"Then we'll find someone we can trust," Martha told him matter-of-factly.

"We cannot risk that," Jonathan almost hissed.

"Our children have lost their sight," Martha said, shocked at his obstinacy. "We may have to risk someone learning their secret."

"Martha, this is not about their secret," Jonathan said softly. "Clark's powers have now done something that have hurt them. And I think before we run out and just do something we oughta think this whole thing through."

"Don't we get a vote?" Clark asked. He made to stand but Rory reached for his hand and pulled him down again.

"Of course you do, Clark," Jonathan said. "Both of you."

"I think it may just be a question of time before we get better," Clark said optimistically.

"It could be permanent," Martha said unwillingly.

"In that case," Rory spoke up, "all we have to do is wait until I'm confident enough with healing to fix our eyes."

"Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Clark asked. "Go to school and walk through a wall?"

Rory grinned, her fingers still twined in her brother's.

**

* * *

Smallville High, next day**  
Rory clutched at Pete's arm, hating the helplessness that came from not being able to see anything.

"Everyone's staring, aren't they?" she heard Clark ask from Pete's other side.

"Uh, they're just digging your shades," Pete excused. Rory laughed a little.

They arrived at Clark's locker, having already been to Rory's. Her book-bag was slung over the shoulder of the arm not attached to Pete.

"Hey, man, let me help," Pete said, guiding the twins to each other. They held each other's arms as Pete started twisting Clark's combination lock. "I've been up on this combination since third grade," he chuckled.

The locker opened and Pete said cheerfully, "Here you go." Rory felt him take one of Clark's hands and place it in his locker.

"If it helps, the guy who did this landed on my mom's court calendar," Pete said. Rory imagined him grinning as he continued, "Somehow, I don't think Judge Ross is going to be giving this Masterson guy any breaks."

Clark continued taking books out of his locker and into a bag as Pete took back Rory's arm.

"Here I am, with the most beautiful girl in school on my arm," he joked to her.

Rory laughed again and smacked him playfully on said arm. Clark pulled the last book out and said mock-sternly to Pete, "Stop hitting on my sister."

Pete laughed and swung the locker door shut. Rory felt Clark wince in pain and connected to his mind to see what was wrong. _Clark?_ she asked.

Then she realised what was wrong. The sound of the door shutting rumbled through Clark's ears. The sliding of the lock into its slot was deafening, and the spinning that followed was excruciating.

Suddenly, other sounds amplified themselves too. Something that could be footsteps, a zipping noise.

Rory returned to her own mind and couldn't hear anything except normal noises.

_Clark's got a new power, then,_ she thought. _Shouldn't I be getting one too?_

She went back into Clark's mind, trying to help him deal, when suddenly she heard Chloe, as clearly as if she stood next to her.

"Clark, what's the matter?" Pete asked.

"Chloe?" Clark gasped.

"She's not here, Clark," Pete said, worried and confused.

"Hello?" That was Chloe again, her voice echoing slightly.

"Pete, I can hear her right now," Clark said in frustration.

"Yeah, he can Pete," Rory backed him up.

"What do you want?" came Chloe's voice again. She sounded frustrated and upset. "I'm at school. This isn't the best place to talk. I'm done with this."

"What-?" Rory said reflexively.

"Shh," was Clark's response.

"No one can hear me," Chloe said sullenly. "I can't believe you're calling me, especially after everything that's happened. Look, I told you before, my days researching Clark and Rory are over."

Rory felt herself go white. She seized Clark's arm and held onto it with all her strength, thankful that her brother could take it.

"Really?" said a different but still familiar voice. Lionel Luthor. "I have such a vivid memory of that young reporter, just eager to work for the Daily Planet, an opportunity I provided for her with only one requirement."

"Well, I gave you all the information I had, Mr. Luthor," Chloe said defiantly. Part of Rory was proud of her for standing up to him, _for them_, but the other part was horrified; _how could she have done that?_

"Look, you have to look at the Kent siblings as a work in progress," Lionel said delicately. "Tell me it didn't arouse your instincts as a journalist when you learned about their collective blindness, especially when others at the scene complained of healing-related traumas."

"You're going to have to find someone else to connect the dots, Mr. Luthor," Chloe said, voice steely, "because I'm done with this."

"What are you going to do, then?" Lionel said softly. "You gonna go running back to Lex?"

"Or what's left of him?" Chloe struck a nerve, both in Lionel and in Rory.

"Lex has a serious mental illness," Lionel almost threatened sternly. "It's as if there is a crack in the foundation. The structure may look stable, but it can't take any pressure. So we will let Lex sit in his office sharpening pencils."

Chloe snorted disbelievingly.

"But I expect a full report from you on the Kent children, Miss Sullivan, by-"

Lionel's last words, and Chloe's response, were cut off by the bell ringing. Its clanging was so loud it forced Rory out of Clark's head, who felt almost deaf at the loss of such great hearing.

"Rory, what's happening?" Pete asked in concern.

"You have to get us home," Rory said quickly. "I'll explain everything then."

Pete led them down the hallway. Suddenly, Rory felt eyes on her… eyes that were unfamiliar, strange eyes, staring at her just as strangely.

She just knew that those eyes were trouble.

**

* * *

Kent Farm  
**Rory settled into the couch in the loft, Martha sitting on the arm next to her and taking her hand.

"So these sounds," Jonathan said from over near Clark, who he was helping up the stairs, "they just hit you all at once?"

"It's like someone turned on a giant stereo full blast," Clark explained, wincing at the memory. "Suddenly all the sounds were magnified."

"Here's the couch," Jonathan said quickly, lowering Clark into it.

"Then they just all went away," Clark continued. "It was completely random."

"Well, with your x-ray abilities and your heat vision, we're not sure how your senses are supposed to develop," Jonathan pointed out.

"It might just have been a one-time thing," Martha suggested, "or maybe your body's trying to compensate for the lack of sight."

"Then why haven't I gotten the super-hearing?" Rory asked. "I think this is another power."

Clark groaned. "And I was so hoping this would just go away. All the sounds, they were so loud. I didn't even know where they were coming from or what they were."

"And then there was Chloe and Lionel," Rory heard herself say and hated herself for saying it. Her parents would freak about this for sure.

"What about them?" Martha asked in confusion.

"They must've been on the phone," Clark said, just as upset as his sister. "They were talking about us."

"It didn't sound like the first time, either," Rory murmured.

Footsteps came up the stairs. Rory turned her head towards them. A new game she'd invented was to try and ascertain who the person was just by their footsteps.

_Hmm… Lex. Possibly Lana. _Remembering all the times Lana had managed to sneak up on them because of her soft shoes, Rory reconsidered. _Almost definitely Lex._

"Hey," came the familiar voice and Rory smiled in satisfaction.

"Oh, Lex," Martha said, surprised.

"How are you?" he asked her. Martha noted his eyes flicker to Rory.

"It's nice to see you," she said. Rory could hear the smile in her voice as she avoided the very simple question.

"Mr. Kent." The words were accompanied by what sounded like a hand shake. Not being able to see was so frustrating! She felt herself getting hot with irritation.

Clark put out a hand and placed it on her arm, making her feel much better. She smiled in the direction of the arm before remembering he couldn't see it.

"Well, uh, I have to go fill in some paperwork for Clark and Rory's principal," Martha excused herself.

"Yeah, that stuff's due tomorrow," Jonathan added, following his wife out.

There was silence for a moment, broken only by Lex's shifting a little.

"Clark, Rory, I don't know what to say," Lex said uncertainly.

"How about hello?" Rory said laughingly.

"Come on, Lex," Clark prodded him figuratively, "behind the Ray Bans, we're still us."

"You know, when my father lost his sight," Lex said in the tone Rory recognised as his helping-people tone, "I made contact with some of the world's top ophthalmologists. You just say the word and I can make any one of them available to you."

"Well, I appreciate that Lex," Clark replied before Rory could say anything. "But this isn't a problem to be solved. This is something we can learn to live with."

"Look, can we not talk about our condition?" Rory asked. "Even when people don't mention it, I can still hear the concern in their voices. We're both perfectly fine."

Rory felt the couch shift a little as Lex sat on her other side. He was a little closer than they usually sat; close enough that Rory could smell his expensive cologne…

_But, _Rory reminded herself, _your senses aren't exactly normal._

"Trust me, I know the feeling," Lex said wryly. "I discovered there's an almost medieval prejudice against the survivors of mental illness."

Rory put her other hand on his arm gently and interrupted, "I still see you the same way I always did, Lex."

She pictured him smiling at her as he put his hand on top of hers and said softly, "Thank you."

"Stop that," Clark ordered.

"Stop what?" Lex asked.

"Stop having a moment when I can't see if it's appropriate or not."

Rory felt Lex shake his head. He went back to his speech, saying, "I decided the only way I could put the insinuations behind me is by proving my worth."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Clark asked curiously.

"By returning to LuthorCorp," Lex answered casually. "My father's offered me my position back."

"Lex," Rory began before she could stop herself. The rest of the words just spilled out of her mouth, "Do you really think that job offer's for real?"

"Why, Rory?" Lex asked her. Answering questions with questions had always been his speciality.

Rory turned her head towards Clark as she said nervously, "Look, I heard that it's a sham. Your dad doesn't really think you're better."

Lex laughed and Clark shifted uncomfortably.

"So he thinks I'm just going to sit in my office and, uh, twiddle my thumbs?" Lex asked sarcastically. Even after all this time, he still believed his anything-but-trustworthy father over her. It stung.

"No, his exact words were 'sharpening pencils'," Rory said, the stinging making her voice sharp.

"Rory, where did you hear this?" Lex asked her, his hand suddenly tight on hers, his voice suddenly low and terse.

"It doesn't matter, Lex," Clark said abruptly. "What matters is that you should be careful."

Rory was very glad that Clark couldn't read her mind unless she was willing – he'd have been very upset at certain thoughts running through her head.

**

* * *

Kent Farm, afternoon  
**"So why do you think I don't have a new superpower yet?" Rory asked Clark. They were sitting outside on some bales of hay while Jonathan fed the hay to the cattle.

"I know, it's weird," Clark said. "Normally our powers come at the same time or within a few minutes of each other. But this time-"

"It's been hours, and still nothing," Rory finished, and sighed.

Jonathan came back just in time to hear the end of the conversation.

"Hey, Rors, don't worry about it," he said. "Your powers develop differently, I thought you'd accepted that."

"Yeah, but it doesn't stop it being frustrating," Rory replied. "Not to mention, that I can't _see _anymore-!"

The bale of hay she was currently resting her hand on burst into flames.

Jonathan yelled and jumped backwards. Rory felt the heat swirling around her hand and said in panic, "Dad? What's happening?"

"The bale's on fire!" he shouted.

Clark tried to yank her away and get between her and it, before she said wildly, "But it doesn't hurt!"

Then something inside her clicked back into place and it _did_ hurt, burning her hand. She screamed and yanked it back, but not before water spurted from her hand all over the fire.

Jonathan stared at Rory's hand in shock, which was now spurting water everywhere.

"Dad?" Rory asked again, afraid. Water began to pour down her body and she shrieked.

"What's going on?" Clark yelled.

"I'm all wet!" she cried back. "Dad!"

"Sweetheart, just calm down, all right," Jonathan said as calmly as possible.

Rory took a deep breath and managed to calm down. The water stopped drenching her, leaving a huge puddle around her feet.

Her hand was still in pain though, so she instinctively sent sparks flying to it. She felt them working over the damaged skin, finally repairing it.

There was absolute silence for a long, long time.

"I think you have a new power, Rory," Jonathan said finally.

**

* * *

Inside  
**"So the bale of hay just burst into flames?" Martha asked incredulously.

"No," Rory corrected, "that would be my hand."

"Your _hand_ burst into flames?" Clark asked angrily.

"Clark, the fire didn't hurt me until it stopped coming from me," Rory explained.

"Then, all this water started coming from the same hand," Jonathan continued for Rory. "After that-"

"It was coming from everywhere," Rory finished.

"So, now Clark has superhearing, and you have-" Martha was at a loss for a description.

"The ability to burst into flames then start spurting water?" Rory suggested scathingly.

"Rory, I think you should just return to school like everything is normal," Jonathan said firmly.

"And what do I do if I burst into flames during Chemistry?" she asked caustically. "Cry spontaneous combustion?"

"Maybe, you could try to control your temper," Martha said meaningfully.

"So you expect me to control my temper, stop myself running into walls, deal with new superpowers, keep this secret _and_ still do well at school?" Rory vented her frustration. "Honestly, Mom, I'm not some kind of superwoman!"

Her hair burst into flames.

Martha screamed and Jonathan went straight for the sink.

"What's going on?" Clark asked. "Is she on fire again?"

Rory just sat there, horrified. She could feel her whole head going up in flames, the heat was terrible!

_What if I lose control of it this time?_ she thought in fear and was suddenly doused in water.

"Nobody just poured water over my head?" she heard herself ask.

"No," Martha replied, her voice strangled.

Rory took a deep breath, then, trying to keep her voice steady, said, "Controlling my temper it is, then."

Clark realised something suddenly. "Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"The first time, when you put the bale of hay on fire, what were you feeling?" Clark asked.

Rory thought for a moment, before answering slowly, "I was frustrated, about not being able to see, and not having a new power."

"And just now, with your hair?" Clark asked significantally.

Rory stared at him, before a smile grew over her face. "Clark, you're a genius!"

"So frustration makes fire," Clark pointed out. "What were you feeling when the water came both times?"

Rory thought about this for a second, before saying, "I was afraid, cause I couldn't see what was going on."

"So, frustration makes fire, fear makes water," Clark said confidently.

"Hang on," Rory said slowly. "Fire and water... they're two of the four elements."

"Elements?" Martha asked. "There are over 30 of them, Rory."

"No, I mean the traditional, mythological elements, Mom," Rory explained. "Fire, water, air and earth."

"You think this new power might be... element control?" Jonathan asked.

"Maybe," Rory replied. "And if my moods are triggering them..."

"Then we need to know which moods trigger the other two," Clark finished. "Let's go outside, Rory."

**

* * *

Outside**  
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Martha asked in concern.

"Look, Mom, if you're really that worried about us, you can just stand a little way away," Rory suggested. "That way, you won't get hurt if I lose control."

"Okay, sweetheart," Martha said, backing away. She stopped at the fence; Clark and Rory stood in the middle of the field.

"Okay," Clark said. "Let's start. Try happy."

"How am I supposed to make myself feel happy, exactly?" Rory asked.

"Think happy memories, happy thoughts, sunshine, lollipops, rainbows, that sort of thing," Clark told her.

Rory shrugged and started to think. After a minute, nothing had happened and she sighed in frustration.

"Rory," Clark said warningly, hearing the sigh.

"Right," she said. "Happiness isn't working. What else have you got?"

"Well, the obvious one is anger," Clark replied. "Try that."

"Can't you just rile me up somehow?" Rory asked.

"All right," Clark said, thinking. "Remember when we were four, and five of your dolls went missing?"

"If this is heading where I think it's heading..." Rory said, anger lacing her voice.

"Mom and Dad took them off you cause they thought you were getting too attached," Clark said casually, a grin on his face.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, blowing madly around them, whipping their hair around their faces as Rory stood with her fists clenched.

"And we have wind!" Clark cried in triumph. "Okay, Rory, you can calm down now."

The wind continued to gust around him and he said cautiously, "Rory?"

There was no answer except the wind picking up.

"Oh, come on Rors," he sighed, "They only did it cause they thought you'd get teased at school, and they loved you so much they didn't want that to happen to you."

The wind abruptly stopped and the earth began to shake under them.

"Oh," Clark said, surprised. "Rory?"

"Um, I think love does earth," Rory called to him, having fallen over from the shakes. They stopped quickly and Martha ran over.

"Rory, are you all right?"

"Mom, did you feel that?" she asked.

"Feel what?"

"The wind, the shaking..."

"I didn't feel anything."

"Good," Rory sighed, allowing her mother to pull her to her feet. "So, frustration is fire, fear is water, anger is air, and love is earth."

"None of which actually makes sense, of course, but..." Clark trailed off.

"Clark, it's _us_, the twins who can talk to each other in our heads and make it to Metropolis faster than a helicopter," Rory pointed out. "Since when has anything we do or anything that happens to us made sense?"

"Good point."

"Thank you."

**

* * *

That afternoon, in the loft  
**Rory sighed, leaning back. She was alone, for the first time since she and Clark had lost their sight. Clark was inside helping Martha with the paperwork, but Rory had gotten too worked up and had left them, not wanting her temper to get them hurt.

Footsteps echoed up the stairs.

"Who's there?" Rory asked, not wanting to play her footsteps game right now.

"Hey, Rory," Lex said.

"Oh," she sighed, slumping back onto the couch. "Hi, Lex."

"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"It's just," she waved her hand dismissively, "the sight thing. I'm fine, Lex, really." Turning in his direction, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Lex looked at her, at how innocent and defenceless she looked, wearing the dark sunglasses that contrasted with her pale skin, her blonde hair which now curled to her shoulders, and her light-coloured clothing.

She looked vulnerable and he both hated and loved it; loved, because it made him feel like he could protect her; hated, because she was one of the strongest people he knew.

"I'm fine," he replied finally.

"Not that I want you to go, but..." she said, "why did you come?"

"I wanted to see you," he told her.

Rory smiled and asked, "Not Clark?"

"You know, I don't think you and I have ever had a private conversation, as in without Clark there," Lex said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure we have at some point, Lex," Rory responded. "Besides, he's my brother, and a little protective."

"Doesn't he trust me?" Lex asked jokingly.

"Of course he does," Rory answered seriously. "It's just – when it comes to me, Clark dislikes being rational unless it will work in his favour."

"You're lucky to have someone who cares about you so much," Lex said, looking at her and thinking that it was impossible for people _not_ to care about her, not with the goodness in her shining out through every pore.

"I thought you cared about me so much too, Lex," Rory said quietly. She became hyperaware of how close they were, close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his skin.

"I do," he said, just as quiet.

All was silent for a moment, just a moment, as Lex leaned forward just a little and Rory tilted her head towards his -

The earth shook, violently, tossing them both to the floor. Rory's sunglasses flew off, hitting the floor and shattering as the earth continued to roll under them.

In the house, Martha and Clark felt it shake and realised at the same time; "Rory!"

Martha said quickly, "Stay here!"

She jumped up and ran out to the barn, finding Lex holding on to her tightly, dragging her down the stairs. They fell down the last few just as Martha reached them.

"Mrs. Kent," Lex gasped. "What's going on?"

The earth began to quiet itself as Lex stood, allowing Martha to pull her daughter to her feet.

"Mom?" Rory asked. Without any warning, she began to cry. Martha pulled her into a hug, pressing Rory's head into her shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay," she soothed.

"Mrs. Kent," Lex began without any idea of what he was going to say.

"Lex, thank you for coming and seeing Rory, but you should go," Martha said firmly.

"Rory," Lex tried, reaching for her.

"I'm sorry, Lex," she said, pulling her head away from Martha and looking at him blindly. "You should go."

He touched her face for an instant before turning and leaving for his car.

"Rory, are you-" Martha began before Rory cut her off.

"I'm fine, Mom," she said brusquely. "I'd like to be alone."

"Are – are you sure?" Martha asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes," Rory said, and Martha noted how her face was expressionless, her voice lacking any sort of intonation, and Martha was worried for her.

Rory turned and slowly made her way up the stairs and back into the loft. From downstairs, Martha thought she heard the wind pick up... but that wasn't right, there wasn't so much as a breeze down here...

**

* * *

Evening**  
Clark made his way slowly up the stairs to the loft.

"Rory?" he called.

"What, Clark?" snapped her familiar voice, the first voice he could remember hearing in his life.

"Dinner's gonna be ready soon," Clark hinted.

"I'm not hungry," she answered coldly.

"Rory, you can't stay up here forever," he said, exasperated.

"I wasn't planning on it," she said, her voice still cold.

"You have to eat!"

"Look, Clark, either accept that I'm not coming down or don't, but either way you have to get out," she said angrily. The wind picked up a little.

Clark folded his arms and retorted angrily, "Well I'm not leaving until you do."

"I refuse to hurt anybody, Clark!" she yelled at him. A huge gust of wind flew at him, forcing him backwards. He fell down the stairs, tumbling head over heels, being pushed by the wind all the way.

Clark stood back up, furious. He went up the stairs again before he ran into what felt like a wall. He pushed at it but it refused to yield.

_Forcefield_, he thought.

"Rory! Rory, let me in!" he screamed, pounding on the field with his fists. There was no reply.

Clark stayed there for fifteen minutes, then Jonathan came and took him back to the house, telling him that Rory would come out when she was ready.

A week passed. Pete was kidnapped, Clark's eyes started to get better after the kidnapper waved a blowtorch in his face and Clark managed to control his superhearing. He saved Pete, found out about Chloe's father losing his job, finally recovered his eyesight and still Rory didn't leave the loft.

Every day, whenever Clark had a spare moment, he sat just outside her forcefield, waiting. Every day, he waited in vain.

After a week and a half, Rory finally came down. It was early morning and Clark wasn't awake yet.

Martha was in the kitchen, drinking some coffee, when Rory walked through the door. Martha was shocked – her face was haggard and thin, her clothes hung off her and she looked like hell.

"Rory!" she cried, rushing to her. She hugged her and Rory hugged back feebly.

"Here, have something to eat," Martha said quickly, making her a bowl of cereal as Rory sat down. "Rory, you look like death warmed up."

"I feel like death warmed up," she said, and her voice was cracked and hoarse.

"I'll make you some more food," Martha said, turning to the fridge.

"No, Mom," Rory said in her terrible new voice. "If I eat too much after eating nothing I'll get sick."

"Why did you do this to yourself, sweetheart?" Martha asked sadly.

Rory just looked at her, her normally vibrant eyes dull and lifeless. "I had to practice," she said in a toneless voice. "I had to get control of them."

"You didn't have to starve yourself," Martha pointed out.

"I couldn't hurt anybody, Mom," Rory whispered. "And the fire, it burns. It burns even Clark."

"How do you know?" Martha asked sadly.

"I just do," Rory murmured.

For a few minutes, there was silence as Rory slowly ate the cereal.

Then Clark came down the stairs. For the last week and a half, he too had been sleeping badly and looking terrible.

He stopped when he saw her sitting at the table.

"Rory?" he breathed in disbelief. He ran to her, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, Clark," she said weakly.

He took one look at her face and ordered, "Bed, now. Then when you wake up, have a shower and eat something."

Rory nodded, far too exhausted to argue with him. She slowly went up the stairs and fell into bed, sleep claiming her immediately.

That was when she remembered why she hadn't been sleeping recently.

_

* * *

Rory stands in the middle of a huge city. Suddenly, she rises into the air, flying high above the city, until she sees that it extends in every direction as far as she can see. There are no trees to be seen._

_She raises her hands and makes trees grow, just to get some life back into the cold, dead city._

_However, the trees get away from her somehow, growing and growing. They begin to suck the people of the city into their roots, killing them._

_"No!" she cries, and lowers herself back down to the ground. She starts some fires then, to control the trees._

_But the fire get away from her too, burning all the people, who scream in agony. The trees grow strong and tall with the fire feeding them._

_Rory lifts her hands towards the sky and makes it rain heavily. But the water feeds the fire somehow and the fire grows stronger still, killing more and more people._

_Time speeds up and Rory stands now on a desolate plain._

_"This is where the city used to be," says a familiar voice, one she thought she would never hear again._

_She turns and sees Sam smiling at her. "Sam?" she asks tremulously._

_"You did well, Rory," he says, coming towards her. "Killing all the vampires like that."_

_He was too close to her now, making it hard to think. "But you said vampires aren't real," she breathes, his head so close to hers that he hears her clearly._

_"Don't be silly, Rory," he says, amused. "Everyone's a vampire now!"_

_People appear behind him, baring their teeth at her. Instead of just two fangs, all of their teeth are jagged and terrible. There are thousands of them, all advancing on her._

_She takes a step back as Sam smiles cruelly, revealing the same set of teeth in his own face._

_All the other vampires turn into bats and swarm her. She screams in terror and crouches to the ground, too afraid to do anything. She hears Sam's wicked laughter just before it begins to rain again._

_The bats turn back into vampires before melting away when the water touches them, just like the Wicked Witch of the West._

_Sam is the only one left, and now it is just him and her, standing alone on the desolate landscape._

_Rory tries to look at him but can't, he's too beautiful; even her superior eyes can't take it._

_"It's all right, Rory," he croons, suddenly next to her again. He tilts her head up towards his and murmurs lovingly, "I won't hurt you."_

* * *

Rory woke with a gasp, sweating in fear. She stumbled from the bed and into her bathroom, desperate to wash herself clean.

Fifteen minutes later, she left the bathroom and went downstairs. Clark and Martha were sitting at the table.

"How long was I asleep?" Rory asked. Her voice was still croaky but that was from disuse.

"You went to sleep yesterday morning," Martha told her.

"Yeah, and you need to go back, Rory, you still look terrible," Clark said in concern.

"I'm fine, I feel much better. Mom, I'm starving, could you make me something?" Rory asked.

"Sure."

"Well you definitely don't look better," Clark said honestly.

"That's because I had a nightmare," Rory said as Martha gave her a plate of bacon and eggs. She dug in enthusiastically.

"What about?" Clark asked.

She didn't want to tell him about her dreams of Sam; she told him another version of the truth. "Vampires and the apocalypse."

"Come on Rory, be serious."

"It was a dream, Clark. They can be about anything."

Clark shook his head. "You can control your powers now then?" he asked.

"Yes, I can," she said darkly, remembering her nightmare, how her powers acted as though they were alive...

_Just a dream_, she reminded herself. _Just a dream_.

**

* * *

A/N Well, that's the end of that! The dream doesn't have much significance, it's not going to come true or anything, I just had to show that she's still attached to Sam, and that was a good way to do it.**

**Also, while writing this I listened to a song called 'Long Distance' by Turin Brakes. It doesn't really apply to the events happening but it does to how Rory feels about Sam and to some degree Lex. It also describes how Lex feels about her.  
**

**Question:  
Seeing as only one person has answered the question and I really want more answers, what do you think the title of this fic refers to?**

**All questions and constructive criticism welcome!**

**PS Forgot to mention, I'm soon going away for ten days and won't be able to write or update. I'll do my best to get the next chapter well on its way before I leave, though.**


	35. Obsession

**Obsession – Thirty-Fifth Chapter**  
Rory sighed as she, Clark and Chloe followed the other students towards the elevator.

"What do you say we make a break for the fire escape?" Chloe asked, her tone managing to convey boredom, anger and sarcasm all in the one go. Rory admired her for that.

"I could crawl down all 39 stories if this field trip didn't count towards our final grade," Clark agreed.

They finally reached the elevator. Chloe stepped inside, taking up the last bit of room in that elevator.

"What do you say we split up this jaded fan club?" Mrs. Alice, their teacher, said happily. "Mr Kent, Miss Kent, next car."

Rory rolled her eyes and waved to Chloe, who waved back disappointedly as the elevator doors slid shut.

Clark pushed the button to call the next elevator as a blonde girl who'd also been left behind came to stand with them.

Rory stared at the door impatiently. "Elevators," she muttered to Clark in a disgusted tone.

"Elevators," Clark agreed.

The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. Rory stepped in, Clark following, and the blonde girl followed him. Alicia, Rory remembered. That was her name.

Rory pushed the button for their destination. Nothing happened and Rory glanced at Clark, wary.

A loud alarm went off, shocking her. Clark reached over and jabbed the button again, almost too hard, just before the elevator fell.

Rory flew up for a moment with the force before hitting the ground again.

_Clark! Do something!_ she yelled.

_Get rid of the camera!_

She looked up; the camera was right over her head. She concentrated for a moment and fire burst from it as it exploded.

Dimly Rory could hear Alicia screaming, but she ignored it, watching Clark.

He turned to the wall behind him and punched through it. Smoke and sparks flew from his hands because of the friction as he grabbed something. He tightened his grip and the elevator finally slowed.

"Rory," he grunted. "A little help here would be nice, thanks."

"Sorry," she replied, laying her hands on the floor. A field slowly blew out from her hands, covering the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alicia lean away from the blue forcefield.

Rory closed her eyes and shoved the forcefield through the floor until it was underneath the elevator.

"Done," she said, opening her eyes.

"What did you just do?" Alicia asked. She was standing, and as Rory looked up at her.

"Please," she said, almost begging, no idea what she would say next.

"Don't tell anyone about this," Clark finished for her, pleading. This was _terrible._

_We really need masks, or costumes, or _something_ that will conceal our identities,_ Rory thought to Clark. She could feel her panic mirrored in his mind.

"Hello? Is someone in there?"

Somebody outside was trying to pry open the door to get them out.

"This is LuthorCorp security…" the stranger's voice continued to say things, but Rory's panic was filling her ears with a roaring noise that overrode any other noises.

"Clark, let go," Rory ordered.

"But-"

"Now!" she roared.

Clark let go of whatever he was holding on to and the elevator slipped. Rory winced as the weight of the whole elevator, as well as the three people inside it, rested on her flimsy forcefield.

"Clark, Alicia," she said, her voice strained, "get out of here, I'll follow."

Clark scrambled over to her and said in a low voice, "I _refuse_ to leave you."

"Clark-" Rory started to say. She was interrupted when Alicia came over to them and crouched next to them also.

"Hold on," she said. She put one hand on Rory and the other on Clark. There was a strange, pulling sensation and the three of them were crouching on the ground outside the elevator on the ground floor.

Rory stood up. Inside the elevator shaft, the elevator crashed, hitting the ground hard.

Clark stood up next to her, twisting her to face him. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah. You?" she asked.

He just laughed. They both turned to Alicia who was looking nervous.

"What did you just do?" Rory asked her.

"You didn't want to get caught," Alicia said, afraid, "and I wanted to help, so…"

"Thank you," Clark said meaningfully. "I mean that. You saved her life."

"Clark," Rory muttered warningly, hitting him. They were interrupted by the rest of the class, headed by the teacher, running towards them down the stairs.

"Listen," Alicia drew their attention back to her. She looked even more afraid now as she said quickly, "Now you both know my secret too. You can't tell anybody."

"You don't say anything, we don't say anything," Rory muttered. The class was much closer now.

"Are you three all right?" Mrs. Alice asked, worried. Rory knew that she was only worried about her job and couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. The woman was odious.

"Yeah," Clark said reassuringly.

"Yeah, we're all fine," Rory added.

"What happened?" the teacher asked.

"Well, we, uh, got out of the elevator," Rory began, stalling.

"And then it crashed," Clark finished. "I think-"

"-the cable broke." Rory grinned at him.

Mrs. Alice's thoughts were so loud they broke down the barrier Rory had kept in place for the majority of two years.

_That finishing-each-others-sentences thing is so annoying._

Rory glared at the woman. Then her own thoughts made her smile; _if she only knew…_

"Are you guys all right?" Chloe asked in concern.

"Yeah, we're fine," Rory answered for them both.

She looked up at Clark, expecting him to be looking down at her with the smile she considered 'her' smile, and then she would smile back with 'his' smile, and everything would be fine.

Instead, she saw him looking over her head at Alicia. She looked over at the other girl too; saw her mouthing 'Thank you' just for Clark, and realised with a start that she was very pretty.

**

* * *

Lex's mansion, several days later**  
Rory pulled the second last box of vegetables out of the truck and set it down next to the door. She wore one of Clark's old plaid shirts which was far too big for her and an old pair of jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail.

"Hey, Rory," came Lex's familiar voice.

She pulled out the last box and grinned at her friend. "Hey, Lex."

She set the box on the ground next to the others and said to him, "Well, that's that last one."

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure," Rory replied. "You're my last delivery."

She followed him through the mansion in silence until they reached his study.

"Why isn't Clark helping you?" Lex asked, walking to his desk and pouring a drink of water. He offered it to her and she took it.

"He's spending time with Alicia," Rory said, biting her bottom lip.

"Alicia?" Lex asked.

Rory knew he already knew the answer, but she humoured him. "Alicia is Clark's new girlfriend."

"Oh." Lex nodded. "What does she look like?"

The question confused her. "Um, she's blonde, about my height, brown eyes, pretty?"

"I thought he went more for the dark-skinned, mysterious, dark-haired type," Lex pointed out.

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Rory asked, still puzzled. "Clark's love life?"

"Kind of," Lex shrugged. He came over to sit next to her and paused for a moment, before asking, "How do you feel about their relationship?"

Rory blinked in surprise before saying slowly, "Well, she makes him happy, and he likes her, and she likes him. So I'm fine with it."

"No you're not," Lex stated.

"What?" Rory asked, now so confused she wasn't exactly sure which way was up.

"You don't have any reason not to be fine with it," Lex explained, "so you're telling everybody and yourself that you're fine with it."

"Oh really," Rory said, incensed. "What exactly makes you think that?"

"Because I know you, Rory," he said, standing in front of her. "And I know that when you bite your bottom lip, it means you're about to talk about something you don't want to talk about. And you bit your bottom lip when you said Alicia's name."

"Well maybe I just wanted to think that you wanted to talk to me about something other than my brother's love life," Rory said, hints of anger in her voice.

"Rory," Lex said calmingly. "I just wanted to remind you that Clark loves you more then anyone."

"And I love him more then anyone," Rory responded. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"If Alicia upset you, at all, if you didn't like her, Clark would break up with her rather then jeopardise his relationship with you," Lex clarified.

Rory stared at him.

"It's okay to be –"

"I'm not jealous!" Rory insisted, anticipating his words.

Lex looked at her and raised one eyebrow.

"Fine, maybe I am a little bit jealous," Rory sighed, wandering away from him. "But the main reason for that is not the reason you're thinking of."

"So your main reason for jealousy is not that you feel like his relationship with someone you're not too fond of is going to prevent you spending time together?" Lex asked.

"No," Rory replied. "Because I know that Clark will spend time with me. The main reason I'm jealous is because…" she looked down at her hands, which she were currently twisting together nervously.

"Yes?" Lex prodded. He walked towards her.

"It's just, I'm not jealous of Alicia, per se," Rory said slowly, trying to figure out the best way to say it. "I'm jealous of… that kind of relationship."

"Please clarify," Lex invited. He stopped, standing close to her.

"I haven't talked to Jared at all since Whitney died," she said, changing topics. "Did you know that?"

"No, I didn't."

"I guess I just miss having that kind of relationship that nobody else can offer me," Rory finally managed.

"Are you saying that you don't think you can ever be with anybody except Jared?" Lex asked, a small crooked smile opening on his face.

"No," Rory said crossly. "I'm saying that nobody can offer it to me unless I want them to."

She suddenly realised just how close Lex was to her, how she could feel his breath on her face. They were the same height, so his breath was hitting her lips, drifting to her nose…

She saw Lex swallow as he leaned fractionally closer to her. "Is there anybody you'd like to offer that to you?"

"It depends," she whispered, "on whether they're willing to offer it."

He leaned in and kissed her, pressing his lips to hers softly. She kissed him back, her lips tingling, as one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other hand sat firmly on her hip.

Rory wound her arms up, holding on to his upper arm tightly with one and touching his face and neck lightly with the other.

The kiss was long and gentle, soft and sweet. Rory lost herself in it, not thinking of anything at all, forgetting everything.

They broke away suddenly, still wrapped in each other's embrace. They stared at each other for a long moment.

If anyone had been in the room with them, they would have noted the contrast between them; one, bald, dressed in designer clothing that looked as if it had been made just for him and probably had.

The other, fair hair spilling a short way down her back, dressed in old clothing that had come straight from a second hand store.

"You need to get home," Lex said softly, breaking the silence.

"Yes I do," Rory replied faintly.

They finally let one another go and Rory backed away, not in a scared way, but in a way that conveyed that she didn't want to turn around.

"We do have to talk about this," Lex said to her, louder now.

Rory smiled sweetly. "Don't avoid me," she said, a pretty smile spreading over her face, and Lex thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

They stared at each other from across the room. Rory ran across it and, before she had time to think, kissed Lex briefly one last time before turning and running out.

Lex stood very still, raising his hand and brushing it lightly over his lips.

**

* * *

A/N And the plot thickens! Not really, just the love triangle. I never really thought of it like that until recently, but it is one. Very much so. :o)**

**Question:  
What do you picture Jared as looking like? If you picture who would play him in-canon, who do you picture?**

**(Jared being Rory's boyfriend from season 1, who I never actually gave an appearance for. That means no wrong answers.)**

**Merry Christmas!**


	36. Dreams

**Dreams - Thirty-Sixth Chapter  
**Rory stumbled down the stairs after yet another night of bad sleep due to terrible nightmares.

Martha took one look at her face and said sympathetically, "Oh, Rory. Again?"

Rory stared at the table and answered dully, "Yeah."

Martha passed her a mug of coffee and asked, "Why won't you tell us what they're about?"

Rory looked up at her and said tiredly, "I don't want you to worry about me."

Martha smiled and said, "Sweetheart, I always worry about you, whether you need it or not."

Rory sighed and said quietly, "If I tell you, you can't tell Clark or Dad. They'll be far more upset than you."

"Of course I won't tell them if you don't want me to," Martha reassured them.

Rory stared into her mug. "Sam."

Martha was shocked. "As in Sam –"

"Yes Mom, Sam," Rory answered bleakly.

"Are they… real?" Martha asked hesitantly.

Rory shook her head. "Not like the one with Sara in it. They're just dreams."

"How do you know?" Martha pointed out.

"Because in the 'real' dream, Sam was nice," Rory said slowly, smiling a little. "He was nice and he was sweet. And in the dreams –" she shuddered.

Martha sat down next to her daughter and took her hand. "Tell me about them," she said gently.

Rory took a deep breath, and in a dead voice, told her about her nightmares. How each night, Sam got worse and worse – as if her imagination was mutating him into what he was not, what he could not be.

Some nights, Rory was evil just like him, on his side, destroying and conquering and laughing at the beauty of the destruction, until she woke, sick at heart.

And other nights, Rory was innocent, a heroine, fighting him but unable to fight him, because her entire being rebelled against his destruction.

In some of the dreams, when she was evil too, Clark was there, and it shattered her heart to watch them fighting and trying to actually hurt one another.

Only once had a dream been a dream, and not a nightmare, right up until the ending. Rory told Martha of this dream, the only one she described to her in full.

_

* * *

Rory lies in a beautiful meadow. The grass is silky, soft and perfectly green. Flowers decorate it with every colour of the rainbow. The sky is blue above her and she sighs, luxuriating._

_"You're beautiful, you know."_

_She does not have to turn her head to face his; she knows this voice better than almost any other._

_"I know," she replies softly. "You tell me all the time."_

_He laughs and rolls until he is looking down on her. "But if I did not tell you, you would forget, and worry, and doubt. So I tell you so that you will always know."_

_She smiles and brushes her hand across his face lazily, up and down, up and down._

_"I'm so glad you're here," she whispers. "Being away from you, it was terrible."_

_He lowers his lips to her ear and whispers in return, "I will never leave you again, or allow you to leave me."_

_He places soft kisses over her skin, leading from her ear down to her lips, and she exhilarates in the feeling of simply being alive, and in love._

_She drifts for a moment, and then everything snaps back into place._

_She stands on top of a cliff. Lex stands before her as the wind whips his clothing around him. His smile is cruel and malicious as he stares at her._

_"Lex…" she pleads, without knowing why she is pleading._

_Then she sees him._

_Sam is struggling against two faceless people. They hold him close to the cliff's horrible precipice, and she screams in fear._

_"Watch, Aurora," Lex shouts over the wind. "Watch as the man you love dies, and know that it is ALL – YOUR – FAULT!"_

_Rory tries to control the wind, but it will not be tamed. She tries to use the earth, but it will not be ruled. She cannot use the fire – she cannot use the water – her powers are useless._

_The faceless people push him, and as he teeters over the edge he screams her name, one last time, before he is gone, gone, gone, over the sheer drop and into oblivion._

* * *

Rory told Martha that she woke up sobbing and swore that Sam didn't exist, and if he did she would never love him, and if somehow she broke those promises, she would not let Lex become evil.

Rory didn't tell her mother that she couldn't decide which dream was most terrifying.

**A/N I know that one's short, but it's sandwiched between two other chapters, so yeah!**


	37. Progress

**A/N You're wondering why this is the 'new' chapter. No. Go to chapter 33 - I decided to do Relic, cause it's important. So 33 is the new chapter. Sorry!  


* * *

Progress – Thirty-Seventh Chapter  
**She walked quickly through the mansion, her feet following the familiar corridors to the study.

It had been weeks since they'd kissed, and each time they were together Clark was there.

Both knew instinctively that before they told Clark anything they had to talk to one another, but it had been so hard to get away from Clark after what happened with Alicia…

But now, her mother had sent her on the produce run while Jonathan had already set Clark to work fencing one of the paddocks and she had saved him until last.

She reached the doors and stared at them for a full minute before drawing in a deep breath and opening just one, slipping inside.

He stood as he had, so many times, his back to her.

He held a glass containing some amber fluid as he stared into space, but she knew there was no chance he hadn't heard her.

"Hi."

The single word came out as almost a whisper, but she could see that he had heard it clearly; could see by the way he turned his head infinitesimally towards her voice.

"Hi."

She stepped forwards, and her footsteps made clear, brisk noises as she walked across the room towards him.

"Clark's not here."

"No."

There was more silence. Both of them knew exactly what they had to say; just not how to say it, or even how to begin saying it.

"Have you said anything to him?"

"No. Have you?"

"Every time I'm with him, you're there too."

She felt his breath catch, and then words were spilling out of him:

"And every time I see you, you're with him. And I can't so much as touch you, because you're with him. I can't talk to you so you can talk to him, because he's there, and we both know that this conversation has to be between us."

She looked at him, at the silhouette of his face – the sun was setting and its orange light shone through the stained glass windows, tinting his skin into a myriad of colours.

"The conversation we don't know how to have."

He laughed, a short, polite laugh that only acknowledged that her remark could have been funny.

"Well, how's this for starters," he said, turning to face her. "Two weeks and five days ago, you and I kissed. We agreed on that day that soon we would discuss that kiss.

Now, certain things we need to discuss; why did we kiss? Do we want that to happen again? What will we tell Clark? What will we tell your parents?"

"What will we tell the world?"

He reached out and ran his fingers over her cheek, so lightly she barely felt it. "Don't worry about them," he promised. "We will keep this secret from them."

"All right," she said soothingly. "Now, as to the other items on your agenda. I kissed you because I like you as more then a friend and I have for some time now. I most certainly want that to happen again. I will handle Clark and my parents."

He smiled, his hand not leaving her face.

"Your turn," she prompted.

"I also like you as 'more then a friend' and have for some time now," he replied softly. "I also want that to happen again."

She smiled sweetly and leant towards him, brushing her lips against his gently.

"I hate to sound even younger than I am," she said, "but does this mean we're going out now?"

"I suppose it does," he replied. "If my age isn't a problem for you."

"You're not that much older then me."

"Rory, you're, what, sixteen?"

"I'm almost seventeen, thank you."

"I'm twenty three. That makes me seven years older then you, not to mention that you're a minor and I'm not."

She reached out to him and brushed his lips with her fingers. "It doesn't matter to me if it doesn't matter to you," she said, and smiled.

He looked at her, really looked at her, noting the way the setting sun's light shone over her face, making her look like an angel. _Do I really deserve you?_ he wondered.

He was just lucky she respected the privacy of other's minds.

**

* * *

Kent Farm, that night  
**Rory sat at the table, more nervous then she'd ever been in her life. Dinner had just finished and she had cleared the dishes already. Now, her family sat around her, just talking, as they normally did at night after eating.

"Rory, are you all right?"

She looked up to see Clark watching her in concern. Jonathan and Martha had also paused in their discourse to look at her.

"Um," she heard herself say, and immediately asserted control of her voice again. "There's something I have to tell all of you."

Jonathan and Martha immediately started to look concerned as well.

"It's nothing bad," she reassured them quickly. "In fact, it's good."

"If you tell me next that you're pregnant-" Clark started furiously before shaking his head, unable to finish his threat.

"Clark!" Rory said, scandalised. "Of course I'm not pregnant! Idiot!"

"Well what else am I supposed to think?" Clark asked defensively.

"Sweetheart, why don't you tell us what it really is," Martha suggested peacefully.

"First of all, are you all calm?" Rory asked edgily.

"Rory," Jonathan said warningly, "I thought you said this was good news."

"It is!" Rory responded. "It's just, you might not react so well to it."

"Rory, just spit it out already," Clark said casually.

"I have a new boyfriend," Rory said very fast.

"Rory, that's wonderful news!" Martha said excitedly. "Who is he?"

"Lex," Rory mumbled. Unfortunately for her, the room was so silent they could have heard a pin drop.

For a moment, the room remained in stunned silence. Martha's look of excitement had frozen on to her face – not because she was upset, but because she hated the thought of her husband's reaction.

"Lex Luthor?" Jonathan asked, already angry.

Several different responses came to mind, including, 'Do we know any other Lexs?' But Rory decided quickly that snarky was not the way to go right now.

"Yes?" she replied meekly.

"You mean to tell me that Lex Luthor is now your significant other?" Jonathan asked, his voice rising as he said it.

"Dad, listen." To Rory's surprise, it was Clark who spoke. "I know you don't like him. But Lex is a good guy, and he does like Rory. He'll take good care of her."

Jonathan debated. Rory was almost hopeless – hundreds and thousands of speeches about how wonderful Lex was hadn't failed to change Jonathan's mind about him. Why should this be any different?

"What about the fact that he's mentally ill?" Jonathan asked harshly.

"He's fine now, Dad," Rory said, hurt. "And I happen to like him a lot, and he happens to like me a lot, and I would've thought that beyond anything else you might actually have been happy that I found someone who _really_ likes me!"

She stood up and was ready to storm out when Clark caught her wrist.

"Rory, wait. Dad," Clark appealed to Jonathan. "Look, if he does anything terrible ever again, Rory will break up with him." He looked up at her. "Won't you?"

"What kind of terrible?" Rory asked. "Cause if he does something bad as in trying to buy out something or keep ordinary secrets from us, then I'll convince him not to do that.

But if, say, he's investigating us or keeping secrets about something we should know about, then yes, I'll break up with him."

"Well I think that it's your decision to make," Martha said, smiling at her daughter.

Rory smiled back softly and said quietly, "Thank you Mom."

"I suppose," Jonathan grumbled, "if you promise not to let him do anything too terrible…"

Rory leant over and kissed him on the cheek, beaming. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he murmured back.

**

* * *

Lex's Mansion, next day  
**Clark threw open the doors to the study and stormed in, making as much noise as possible.

"Lex!" he yelled. "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" came the familiar drawl from over Clark's head. Lex came down the stairs set into the wall and walked towards him.

"About you and my sister," Clark said in the typical menacing, big-brother voice. Even though he didn't know if he was older than Rory or younger.

"How did your parents take it?" Lex asked.

"I'm asking the questions," Clark said angrily. "But, you know, Mom was happy as anything, Dad was… less than impressed."

"So what did you want to ask me?" Lex inquired.

"How long has this been going on?" Clark demanded.

Lex hesitated. "I don't know how much Rory has told you and how much she wants to tell you."

"When I asked her she said to ask you," Clark told him, his tone intimidating. "Does that tell you anything?"

"We kissed two weeks and six days ago. She was jealous of your relationship," Lex explained tactfully, making sure he didn't mention Alicia. "Since then, every time I've been near her, you've been there too."

Clark harrumphed.

"Yesterday, we finally got to talk about the kiss," Lex continued. "We decided that we would, in fact, like to be together. We talked about the fact that we wouldn't let the media in on our relationship. So she won't get hurt. I won't let her get hurt."

Clark waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I knew that. But the real reason I'm here is for the obligatory brother speech. I had to give it to Jared, you know. It was hardly intimidating for him though, he was taller than me then."

"All right," Lex allowed. "Give me your best shot."

Clark stepped right up until he stood very close to Lex, looking down on him threateningly.

"If you hurt my sister," he said, his voice deep and menacing, "if you hurt her at all, or she gets hurt by this relationship, our friendship will no longer mean anything, and I will happily rip you to pieces, then burn the pieces, then bring you back just so you can suffer the pain of being a hundred tiny little burnt pieces of flesh."

Clark stood over him for a few more seconds before relaxing and stepping back. "I'm done," he said cheerfully.

"Wow," Lex said appreciatively. "I didn't know you could be so imaginatively cruel."

Clark shrugged. "Where Rory is concerned, I tend to get a little protective."

Lex grinned. "First, biggest understatement of all time. Second, I know you do. Third, I _will_ take good care of her."

Clark smiled at his best friend.

"I know you will," he said trustingly.

**

* * *

One week and two days later  
**Rory walked into the Talon and grinned at Lana behind the counter.

"Hey Lana," she said cheerfully.

"Hey Rory," Lana greeted her. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed and giggled. "I feel so trendy. I actually know the server and I have a 'usual'."

"I get the feeling that's not really why you're so happy," Lana smiled at her, preparing her drink. "You're meeting _him_, aren't you?"

Rory had told only her closest friends about her relationship with Lex; Lana, Chloe and Pete. Lana had taken it the best, while Chloe and Pete weren't happy with the idea at all.

"Got it in one," Rory said happily, accepting her drink.

"Hey," said the familiar voice from behind her, and she turned to see Lex standing close by.

"Missed you," he whispered, coming closer.

Rory grinned and said, "Why don't we move this conversation to your place?"

Lex smiled and took her hand, pulling her out. Rory waved to Lana, who just laughed at her lovestruck friends.

Outside, it was raining heavily. Lex grabbed his umbrella from the door and held it mostly over Rory's head, ignoring the fact that his expensive clothes were getting ruined.

He opened the door of his latest car for her, accompanying her in with the umbrella, before going around to the driver's side and getting in himself.

"Who said chivalry's dead?" Rory teased him.

Lex grinned as he started the car and said airily, "I've dedicated myself to bringing it back, just for you."

"Aren't I lucky," she said, still smiling hugely.

**

* * *

Lex's Mansion**  
"No peeking," Lex warned quietly in her ear.

"Lex," she laughed, reaching up to hold his wrists, "your hands are over my eyes. I couldn't peek if I wanted to."

"Aren't I smart?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he propelled her through some doors. "Wait here, no peeking."

Rory kept her eyes squeezed shut as Lex walked away for a moment, returning quickly.

"And… open," he breathed into her ear.

Rory opened her eyes eagerly and couldn't think of a response for a long time.

A soft red picnic blanket was spread smoothly over the hard floor. Pillows in all different hot colours lay all around it. Several baskets were scattered around it and perfect white plates were set on it.

On those plates were different selections of food; one for fruit, one with cheese and biscuits, one with small sausage-like meats and bits of salami, one with a whole chicken on it…

"I was going to put this outside," Lex was telling her as she took it in. "In the gardens, it's beautiful there. But then of course it started raining, so I had to set it up inside."

"Lex it's beautiful," Rory gasped. "Did you do all of this?"

He shrugged. "I had the kitchen staff help me, of course. But I picked out the blankets and pillows myself," he offered.

Rory laughed, walking towards it slowly. Suddenly, she spun on her heel to face him, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I know why you did this," she smirked. "It's our one month anniversary."

"Well, that's debatable," Lex said thoughtfully, walking towards her. "It's the one month anniversary of our first kiss. Our real one month anniversary isn't for another two weeks and five days."

Rory laughed and shrieked quietly in surprise as he grabbed her by the waist and lowered her into an ever-so-romantic pose.

As he kissed her gently, she thought that she had never had such a happy time.

Why ruin it by thinking of her recurring dreams of another man?

**

* * *

A/N So, important things there! Believe it or not, even the fluff at the end is important. I won't say why, but it is. And it's not just the last line. :o)**

**Questions from the last one, seeing as I'm posting these together. Plus, any theories as to what's going to happen soon?**

**Merry Christmas!**

**PS I think there are laws in America against minor/adult relationships? All I know is that in Australia you're not legally allowed to have sex unless you're 16 or over. Is it the same in America?**


	38. Covenant

**Covenant – Thirty-Eighth Chapter  
**It was a normal night for the Kent family – they sat in the living room, talking after dinner as usual. Perfectly normal.

Until there sounded a knock on the door – a knock that would literally change the world.

"I'll get it," Clark said, getting up. He was still smiling when he went to the door and opened it. The smile disappeared as soon as he saw the person there.

A strange blonde girl stood there. She was beautiful, and smiled at him mysteriously. That wasn't what shocked Clark, however.

She was completely naked.

"Hello, Clark," she said, still smiling. "My name is Tara. I'm from Krypton."

Clark stared at her in shock.

"Clark?" Rory called. "Who's there?"

"Uh," Clark began, turning towards them then back to the girl. "Rory, could you maybe grab some clothes?"

"Why?" Rory got up from the couch and came to the door. She saw the girl and her mouth dropped open.

"Hello, Rory," the girl said to her cheerfully. "My name is Tara, and I'm from Krypton."

Rory's eyes widened. "I'll go get you some clothes," she said in a strangled voice.

She turned and ran up the stairs. Clark tried desperately not to look at the girl as he waited for Rory to return.

"Here," called Rory, running down the stairs. She had an old flannel shirt and a pair of denim shorts.

She came towards them, handing Tara the clothes as Jonathan asked, "What's going on?"

"Hang on," Clark said to them, looking at them to avoid seeing Tara again.

"She's decent," Rory said. "Come on in."

Rory pulled Tara into the living room, sitting her down on the couch.

"Mom, could you make some tea or something?" Clark asked.

Jonathan and Martha got up to do just that.

Rory sat down next to Tara, while Clark remained standing.

"Tara," Rory started gently, "I don't know where you heard about Krypton, but an astronomer told us that it was destroyed."

"Its physical form is gone," Tara said mystically, "but it lives on through us."

Martha and Jonathan returned. Martha handed Tara a mug full of steaming hot tea.

"Here, this will warm you up," Martha said warmly to her.

Tara took the mug, staring at it in confusion.

"It's hot tea," Martha told her.

Tara smiled at Martha, almost patronisingly, and put the mug down on the coffee table in front of her.

"Young lady," Jonathan took charge of the situation, "I'm sure that your parents are very worried about you. Why don't you let us call them?" he suggested.

"There's no one to call," Tara said. Her smile had not left her face since she'd arrived.

"Well, you can't sleep out in the field," Martha decided. "You'll stay with us tonight."

"Thank you," Tara replied. "I heard you were very kind."

"How exactly did you get here?" Clark asked suddenly.

Tara looked up at him and said, sounding honest, "I came through a passage in the cave wall."

"A passage from where?" Clark asked.

Tara alternated between looking at the twins as she said, excited, "A place where all your questions will be answered, where you don't have to hide your true selves."

"Look," interrupted Jonathan, sounding irritated, "if you really are from some different planet, why don't you do us a favour, huh? Give us a display of all your special abilities," he spat the last few words.

"Dad..." Rory tried to stop him.

Jonathan walked around the couch, getting closer to Tara and Rory.

It had not escaped his attention how alike they looked – both had hair the same colour, the same length, the same thickness and straightness. They were both beautiful, and there was some inexplicable similarity in their features.

"Rory, you and Clark already told me how Pete's being harassed by the FBI," Jonathan pointed out, ignoring his fears for the moment. "How do we know this isn't some sort of ploy?"

Tara stood up, her smile finally leaving her. She spoke with authority as she said, "Jonathan Kent, you have no place in this conversation. I will show Kal-El and Kara all they need to see in due time."

Rory stood next to her, panic crossing her face before she mastered her emotions. "Where did you hear those names?" she asked quickly.

Tara turned away from Jonathan and looked at the twins, her expression softening. "They were the names given to you at birth," she replied.

"Why are you here?" Rory heard herself ask, and her voice was filled with a sort of void that she had never been sure how to fill.

Tara smiled, taking her hand. "To take you home," she said gently.

Rory stared at her in shock.

Without warning, there was another knock at the door.

"Rory? Clark?"

"Lex," Rory whispered, pulling away from Tara and walking to the door quickly, standing between him and the living room.

She kissed him on the cheek and smiled, "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he replied, running his hand down her arm. "Can I talk to you and Clark for a second?"

He peered into the room.

"Ah, Lex, this is..." Clark trailed off as he realised that Tara had vanished. "...good a time as any."

* * *

Rory found it hard not to take Lex's hand. They tried not to show too much affection in front of others, especially since the press had found out about their relationship only a few weeks ago.

"I thought you'd be celebrating," Clark said, interrupting her musings. "Your dad's finally behind bars."

"Where he belongs," Rory added.

Lex shook his head. "My father has a battalion of lawyers more powerful then Caesar's army. He'll be out on bail in less than 48 hours."

"I don't think the judge is going to let a murderer back on the streets," Clark disagreed confidently.

"Clark, the only way he'll be denied bail is if there's evidence at his bail hearing that he's an imminent threat to society," Lex explained angrily.

"What about Chloe's voicemail?" Rory suggested. "The one with your dad's confession on it. That could be pretty damaging."

"It will be for the grand jury," Lex pointed out. "But in order to deny him bail, they need eyewitnesses, people who have seen my father actually inflict harm."

"But everybody who's seen him in his darkest moments is dead or… unwilling to come forward," Rory realised.

Clark lowered his eyes guiltily. After a moment he looked back at Lex.

"I'll come forward," he said strongly.

"I appreciate the support Clark, but they need an eyewitness," Lex reminded him.

"We- I, I saw him at Belle Reve," Clark said uncomfortably. "I saw him order the doctor to increase your electroshock voltage. Even when the doctor said it could turn you into a vegetable."

Lex's eyes widened imperceptibly. He remained calm as he said, "How could you have seen that?"

"We snuck in to try to save you," Rory told him sadly. "We were too late."

Lex looked from one to the other, looking angry. "You knew all along that my father murdered his parents, didn't you?" Rory looked away and Lex said heatedly, "And you never told me."

"Lex-" Clark tried to say.

"I always assumed there was a tacit agreement in all healthy relationships to share that kind of information with each other," he said bitterly.

"Not when it could have gotten you killed," Rory burst out.

"She's right," Clark agreed. "Lex, your father threw you into a mental institution and fried your brain."

"If you found that out all over again, we thought he might kill you," Rory explained pleadingly. "And we couldn't live with that."

She took a step towards him. "I couldn't live with that."

Lex looked at her for a long moment, then up at Clark. He put his hand on Rory's arm and smiled.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Clark, if you tell the judge what you just told me, my father will be exchanging his Armani for an orange jumpsuit."

"What about me?" Rory asked.

"Rory," Lex hesitated. "Everybody knows now that we're dating. Your confession - while it should stand up legally - the jury will be less likely to believe you. They'll think that you're lying to protect your boyfriend."

"And the age difference won't exactly help there either," Rory finished with a sigh.

"We'll be there, Lex," Clark told him, smiling. "Count on it."

The twins escorted him outside. Rory kissed him goodnight as Clark stood by uncomfortably.

Lex got into his car and drove away. They stood there, watching him leave in silence.

"You shouldn't involve yourselves with them," a voice broke the silence.

They turned to see Tara standing behind them, a frown on her face.

"Lex is our friend," Clark said to her. "We want to help him."

"You can't trust him," Tara said confidently.

"And you don't know him," Rory shot back acidly.

"I don't have to," Tara replied archly. "It's human nature. It's just who they are."

"They happen to be the people that we care about," Clark told her staunchly.

"Which is why it will be so much harder when they betray you," Tara prophesised. "I can understand why you're so scared. This is all you know," she said quietly.

"But you were not meant for this world, Kal-El, Kara."

The twins winced at their names and Tara continued, "You were meant for mine."

"Then why are there prophecies from two different cultures saying that we're meant to be _here_?" Rory asked acerbically.

"The future is not set in stone," Tara replied.

"Yeah, and I like the future we're currently headed for, thank you very much," Rory responded cuttingly.

"Exactly. Why should we believe anything you say?" Clark asked irately.

"Because it's the truth," Tara told them innocently.

"Really?" Clark asked disbelievingly.

"Why don't you start by telling us where you've been for the past fourteen years?" Rory inquired just as innocently.

"If you join me, all your questions will be answered," Tara promised, her face full of hope.

"That's not good enough," Clark said shortly.

"Wait," she said, stopping them walking away. "You need to know what you're capable of. Both of you."

"What do you mean?" Rory asked, not showing her fear.

"You have no idea how powerful you two will become," Tara said softly.

Clark looked between them, his sister and the stranger, noting – just like Jonathan – the similarities between them.

The moon shone over them, illuminating their matching fair skin and blonde hair. They looked almost angelic in the silver lighting.

But he also noted the differences. Tara looked calm and peaceful, while Rory looked obstinate and a little afraid.

Tara turned to look at him. He nodded and took Rory's hand.

Together, they supersped after her.

**

* * *

Kawatche Caves  
**"This fissure wasn't here last week," Clark noticed, touching it. Rory stood next to him, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"It opened to release me," Tara said serenely. "It'll open again when we go."

"What makes you think we want to leave?" Rory asked, still restless.

"I can sense how sad you both are," Tara said sympathetically. "Not a day goes by when you don't feel like outsiders."

Rory looked away and Tara continued sincerely, "Even those closest to you will never truly understand you. But it doesn't have to be that way."

Rory couldn't take standing so close to her and backed away. Clark turned away as well.

He thought of something completely unrelated to ask her and went with it. "You've been down here ever since the meteor shower?"

"Yes," Tara replied. "Waiting for the time when he knew you'd be ready."

Rory stiffened and Clark winced. All the same, he was curious. "He?"

"Your birth father," Tara clarified. "Jor-El."

"He died on Krypton," Rory said loudly, hoping it was true.

"Yes, but his spirit and will live on inside these walls," Tara responded, unruffled.

"We should've known," Clark muttered furiously.

"He's not the monster you seem to think he is," Tara said, anger highlighting her tone. "He saved you both from certain destruction."

Rory spun to face her. "Yes, to turn us into something we never wanted to be!" she cried, irate.

"You may think you know you and your brother's destiny, Kara," Tara said just as loudly. "But you have no idea what greatness lies ahead of you."

"Then why don't you tell us," Rory demanded icily.

"I'm only here to help you two with your transition," Tara avoided her question. She looked over at the wall and said, "Everything you want to know lies through there."

She looked up at Clark and said softly, "But it has to be your choice."

Clark turned to look at his sister. She was staring at the wall in fear.

Rory looked up at him, indecision all over her face.

"Come with me, Kal-El, Kara," Tara murmured quietly.

"I can't do this," Clark said desperately after a pause. "Neither of us can."

Tara smiled at him and said, soft and understanding, "Just know. When you're both ready, I'll be waiting for you."

**

* * *

Kent Farm, next day**  
"She hasn't eaten anything since she's been here," Martha said worriedly to the rest of her family.

"Martha, right now her appetite is the least of our problems," Jonathan said sternly.

"I think she's for real," Clark interrupted quickly. "I think Jor-El sent her."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked.

"How else do we explain her powers?" Clark pointed out.

Rory stood by silently, glancing nervously at Tara every so often.

"Clark, this is Smallville," Jonathan disagreed. "Kryptonite's given a lot of people special abilities."

"She knows our birth names," Clark argued. "She knows everything about us."

"She doesn't know any more about you then Dr Swann," Jonathan replied resolutely.

"Do you think Swann sent Tara?" Martha asked him.

"I have no idea what the man's agenda is," Jonathan said severely.

"Maybe he doesn't have an agenda," Rory suggested quietly.

Jonathan looked at her for a moment then continued, "But wherever this girl is from, I just don't trust her."

There was a rush of air and Tara stood right behind Jonathan. Rory gasped and Jonathan turned.

"You're the one who cannot be trusted, Jonathan Kent," Tara said harshly. "You broke the covenant. Jor-El gave you many warnings, but you chose not to listen to them."

"What is she talking about, Jonathan?" Martha asked in bewilderment. Clark and Rory listened quietly.

"Tell Jor-El's children what you did," Tara ordered mercilessly.

"What kind of deal did you make, Dad?" Clark asked nervously.

Jonathan didn't say anything for a while.

Then, he took a deep breath and spoke. "I promised Jor-El that if he gave me the power to bring you two back from Metropolis, that one day I would return you to him."

"Jonathan, you didn't," Martha gasped in shock.

"Martha, I had no idea it was going to be this soon," Jonathan tried to explain.

Rory hugged her arms around herself tightly as Martha moaned quietly, "No…"

"I told you, Kal-El and Kara," Tara addressed the twins. "They'll always betray you. Even the man you call your father."

"I did not betray my children," Jonathan said irately.

"Quiet," Tara snapped. She turned her head towards the window. "Someone's listening."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked. Rory tilted her head and listened for thoughts. Jonathan and Martha's whirled through her head before being replaced.

She recognised the tenor of his mind; it was the FBI agent who had threatened Pete.

Rory gasped and Tara was gone.

She ran outside and saw Tara standing in front of his car.

The man inside yelled, panicky, "Get out of the way!"

Tara slammed her hands onto the hood of the car. Orange energy began to spread from her hands.

"No!" Rory screamed at the top of her lungs.

But she was too late. The energy spread over the car and vaporised it, leaving no trace of the car or the man inside.

She supersped over to Tara.

"What did you do to him?" Rory exclaimed furiously.

"That man feared you and your brother, Kara," Tara said coldly as Clark joined them. "He wanted to exploit you."

"So you killed him?" Clark asked, just as livid as his sister.

"He didn't feel any pain," Tara said emotionlessly, as though that excused it.

**

* * *

That afternoon**  
Rory leaned on the doorframe, watching as Lana pulled up and talked to Clark.

Ever since Metropolis, their friendship had been strained. That did tend to happen when you threatened your best friend with death, of course.

Then there was Adam. When Rory had gone to thank him for taking care of Lana and become his friend, she hadn't realised that Lana was interested in him too, which only complicated things further.

Plus, she'd discovered recently that Chloe was much easier to be around than Lana. Lana was all about honesty and not keeping secrets and blah blah blah.

Chloe had become much more relaxed about that kind of thing lately. So Rory had been spending most of her time with Chloe, not Lana.

Lana's car driving away interrupted her thoughts. She watched Tara walk over to Clark and talk to him, standing far too close for Rory's liking.

Rory scowled, not noticing a delivery van pull up.

"Hey," called a young man's voice.

Rory glanced over and saw a delivery guy standing there.

"You," he paused to check the package, "Aurora Kent?"

Rory nodded.

"This is for you and, uh, Clark Kent," he said, showing her a large envelope.

"Who's it from?" Rory asked.

"A Mr. Lionel Luthor," he read off the package.

Rory took it from him and he left. Clark supersped over to her.

"What's that?" he asked her.

"It's from Lionel Luthor," she told him, surprised.

Rory ripped off the top and, holding it over her hand, began to shake it. A key fell out and into her hand.

She held it up for them both to examine.

**

* * *

Lionel's prison, night  
**Rory and Clark were led into the prison cell that held Lionel Luthor by two guards. The guards then stood on either side of the door and watched them carefully.

"What is this?" Rory started the questioning with the obvious.

"A key," Lionel said calmly, his back to them. "Unfortunately, not the one we're all looking for."

"If you want to play games, we'll leave," Clark threatened.

"Clark," Lionel began, standing. "My lawyers tell me that your name has appeared on the prosecution's witness list."

Lionel turned and walked towards them. He paced back and forward in front of them as he said, "I can only assume Lex has you buying into his version of our Oedipal struggle."

"Buy into this," Rory laughed humourlessly. "You're a murderer and Lex is our friend."

"You can drop the charade, Aurora," Lionel snapped. "I know that you and my son are... seeing each other," he said each word with distaste. "But, you see, I am not worried about my son in this case, Aurora, but you."

"What do you mean?" Rory asked despite herself.

"Lex is an expert at lies and subterfuge," Lionel told them. "That key you're holding. It opens a door."

"Really?" Rory asked sarcastically. "Golly gosh, I _never_ would have guessed _that_."

Lionel ignored her comment. "Third floor, east wing, Luthor mansion," he said quickly. "You'll be fascinated by what you find."

"I'm not walking into some kind of trap, or letting my sister walk into one," Clark spat furiously. "Last time I listened to you, I became a lab rat at Summerholt."

"Clark, I don't want to harm you or your sister," Lionel said, a fanatic gleam in his eyes. "Far from it, I want to _enlighten_ you. You want answers?"

Rory stiffened and Lionel said, smiling madly, "You're gonna find them. Answers you won't believe."

**

* * *

The next day, Luthor Mansion  
**"Clark," Rory said nervously, glancing around. "I don't like this. I don't want to do this."

"Come on, Rors," Clark said convincingly. "We'll go in, look around, then we'll leave. Lex won't know. There's probably nothing in there anyway."

The door clicked open and he pushed through it. Rory followed him after one last look around.

She walked down the stairs just inside the room, shock saturating every part of her.

The room was dimly lit. One wall was completely taken up by two huge, framed pictures; one of her and one of Clark. Several marbles attached to strings hung nearby, presumably representing planets.

On another wall, there were enlarged versions of some of the cave drawings. In front of them was a computer screen with a rotating image of the octagonal key.

Rory glanced to her left and saw another computer screen with a computer generated image. She gasped. It showed a car fishtailing around on a bridge then hitting a person.

_That day on the bridge,_ she thought, not quite taking it all in. _Oh, Lex, how could you?_

There were more pictures of her family on the walls. Rory was staring at them when suddenly she felt sickness strike her like a physical blow.

"Kryptonite," Clark grunted. "Let's go."

They walked towards the door, Rory on the verge of tears.

Clark stopped suddenly and Rory almost ran into him. She looked up and saw Lex standing at the top of the stairs.

"Before you jump to conclusions," Lex said. "Clark-"

"You told me you stopped investigating us," Clark interrupted furiously.

"I did," Lex said quietly.

"Then what the _hell_ is all this?" Clark gestured frantically at the room.

Lex walked down the stairs and Rory shuddered. She _hated_ them fighting; wanted to let Lex explain, but knew that Clark was beyond excuses now.

"I understand how you can think this is all about you," Lex said, almost sounding tired. "But in fact, it's about me."

"More lies," Clark hissed.

"There's so much of my life I can't explain," Lex said thoughtfully, examining the room with a detached air. "I've survived countless brushes with death and it all started with that car crash."

He stared at the screen showing what really happened that day. "If I'm guilty of anything, it's that I've inherited my father's eccentric curiosity for the unexplained."

"You've inherited his dishonesty," Clark spat acerbically.

Lex turned to look at Clark and walked towards him. Rory stayed behind her brother.

"Clark, look me in the eye and tell me you don't have any hidden places of your own where you keep your deep, dark secrets," Lex argued strongly.

Clark stared at Lex grimly for a long time. Suddenly, he spoke, bitterly.

"Ever since we met you, we've been defending you, making excuses for you, to people like Pete, like our parents," Clark said resentfully. "Telling them, 'You can trust Lex Luthor. He's a good guy. He's nothing like his father'."

Clark stepped away and Rory moved back also. "We were wrong," Clark finished harshly.

Clark turned and ran up the stairs. Rory remained behind, looking up at Lex with teary eyes and a heartbreaking face.

"Rory," Lex said, reaching out to her. "Please."

"Lex, I believe you," she whispered. "Or I want to, I don't really care which. But-but I can't be with somebody that Clark doesn't like. And I promised my parents…"

She turned her face away, unable to look at him any longer. "I'm so sorry," she finished, running up the stairs and outside.

Lex stared after her, his face crushed.

**

* * *

A/N Aww, poor guy. So that's the end of that. I'm writing as fast as I can, don't worry, I desperately want to get this episode finished!  
Happy New Year everyone!  
**


	39. Covenant Part 2

**Covenant – Thirty-Ninth Chapter**  
"Everything you said has come true," Clark whispered in grief, leaning on the rail in the loft.

"I take no pleasure in you or Kara's grief, Kal-El," Tara said quietly from behind him.  
"I know that you both have great feelings for these people, and they will miss you when you're gone."

"Ever since the meteor shower we've brought them nothing but pain," Rory said listlessly from the couch.

Tara went to Clark and put her hand on the back of his head, trailing it down his back.

"Come with me, Kal-El," she murmured. "She will ease you and your sister's suffering."

"She?" Rory asked, still disinterested.

"Your birth mother," Tara replied with a small smile.

"Lara?" Clark asked hopefully. Rory raised her head and hope glimmered in her eyes also.

"She's missed you both so much," Tara said expressively.

"But how could she?" Rory asked painfully. "She died."

"Her love lives on and will embrace you all the days of your lives," Tara said, lifting Clark's chin to look at her. She kissed him on the forehead.

Clark looked at Rory. Rory stood and said, for both of them, "We're ready."

**

* * *

Kawatche Caves  
**Clark, Tara and Rory stood in the caves, holding hands. They stood before the split in the wall.

They raised their joined hands into the air. The split began to open, releasing a beautiful but blinding golden light into the caves.

A strong wind that Rory didn't call began to gust through the caves.

Clark and Rory looked at each other over Tara's head, nervous. Tara opened her eyes and smiled at them each in turn, completely self-assured.

"Clark! Rory!" called a familiar voice from behind them. "Wait!"

The twins let go of Tara's hands and turned to face Jonathan.

"Her name is not Tara," he shouted over the wind. "Her name is Lindsay, and she's not from Krypton."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Clark yelled back to him.

Tara grabbed his hand and said firmly, "Ignore him, Kal-El."

Jonathan held up and envelope and shouted, "Chloe matched her fingerprints to a girl who was arrested for shoplifting 16 years ago."

Jonathan pulled a piece of paper out and handed it to Clark. Rory looked over his shoulder and saw a newspaper article with a picture of Tara. She looked exactly the same as she did now.

The headline read "Woman Killed in Smallville, Daughter Missing."

The golden light continued to illuminate the caves as Jonathan told Tara, "Your name is Lindsay Harrison."

"My name is Tara!" she screamed back at him.

"You were driving with your mother on the day of the meteor shower," Jonathan yelled. "Your car got a direct hit on Route 8. That's right here near the caves."

Tara glared at Jonathan in rage.

"Clark, Rory," Jonathan turned his attention back to them. "Lindsay's body was never found."

"You haven't aged a day!" Rory said in disbelief, looking from the article to Tara.

"Because I've been waiting for you!" she screamed in frustration. She looked at the wall and yelled, "In there!"

"No, Lindsay! Jor-El used you!" Jonathan corrected her at the top of his voice. "He stole away your life, stripped you of your humanity, all so he could lure Clark and Rory to him! You three have to come with me, now."

"Go with Tara, my children," bellowed Jor-El's voice from the wall.

"We're not going anywhere!" Rory shrieked furiously.

"We'll never be who you want us to be!" Clark agreed, just as angry.

There were several flashes of bright white light and Tara disappeared.

"What did you do to her?" Clark roared.

"She served her purpose," said Jor-El coolly. "As has Jonathan Kent."

A yellow-orange rope of fiery energy burst from the fissure and wrapped itself around Jonathan's neck, pulling tight.

"Dad!" Rory and Clark cried simultaneously.

"Leave our father alone!" Rory shrieked at the wall.

"Come forward or he will die," Jor-El's voice echoed with finality.

Rory and Clark both looked from one end of the cave to the other, from one father to another, from one destiny to the other.

"Come to me, my children," Jor-El urged them.

"No!" Jonathan cried. "Jor-El can do whatever he wants to me so long as you two are free!"

"We'll never be free," Clark whispered.

"He's right," Rory said loudly.

They looked at each other as they decided.

"I love you Clark," Rory said brokenly.

"I love you too, Rory," Clark replied sadly.

He offered his hand and she took it. He pulled her into his arms and they hugged fiercely as a force tugged on them, yanking them into the wall violently.

Everything went black.

* * *

When Rory 'awoke', she was in a misty, shimmery place. Clark lay nearby, curled up next to her.

"Kal-El, Kara, my children," crooned a voice.

She raised her head, looking around a little. She was completely naked as was Clark.

"Now you shall be reborn," said the voice, satisfied.

Kara let her head loll back as darkness claimed her once more.

**

* * *

A/N Short, I know, but I just had to separate them. :o) And now, ladies and jellybeans, the moment you should have all been waiting for… the fourth season begins! You have no idea how happy I am as I write this.  
**


	40. Crusade Part 1

**A/N All right ladies and jellybeans, the moment you've really been waiting for... SAM'S RETURN! :o)**

**

* * *

Crusade – Fortieth Chapter**  
Sam stared at the map, his heart pounding in his chest. Rain poured down around the Impala and every now and again lightning flashed or thunder crashed.

"And you're absolutely sure –" Dean said for the fiftieth time.

"Dean, I'm absolutely one hundred percent sure," Sam sighed. "Jason is going to be in Smallville, and even if he did run away, he still deserves to know that his father's dead."

Sam didn't have to look at his brother to see the scowl on his face. What he didn't see, though, was the scowl morphing into a smile.

"Are you sure the real reason we're not going to Smallville isn't-"

"No," Sam cut him off sharply. "It's not."

"Denial's not just a river in Egypt, Sammy," Dean said, serious again.

Sam didn't say anything and they drove on in silence.

"It's been almost a year, Dean," Sam said suddenly. "And there was never really anything there in the first place."

Dean just shook his head. Ironically, the moment he took his eyes off the road, a bolt of lightning struck right next to them.

Sam grabbed the steering wheel reflexively, spinning it towards himself. The car spun off the road and crashed through the trees, miraculously not hitting any.

Dean slammed down the brakes, hard, and they finally came to a stop.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Dean continued to swear under his breath as he got out of the car to check over his precious baby.

Sam sighed and got out of the car too. If he knew Dean, they'd be here for hours.

He looked around, seeing trees on three sides of him and a clearing on the other.

He walked forward into the clearing and froze on its edge.

The clearing was full of little spot fires. As he watched, orange energy crackled between them, making random patterns before it all fizzed out. He could vaguely see something lying in the middle. But none of that was what froze him to the spot.

This was the same clearing he'd met Rory in.

Sam stared around in shock. It was the same shape and size, a perfect replica. But he hadn't thought they were this close to Smallville.

The bundle in the middle of the clearing stirred. His gaze was drawn back to it as the shape revealed itself to be a person, clearly a woman – and she was naked.

Sam ran back to the car, opening the boot of the car and pulling out a shirt of his and a pair of jeans.

"Sammy! I think I found a scratch!"

"Great, Dean," Sam called back. "Just, just, keep concentrating on the car. Please."

He jogged over to the girl. Now that he was closer, he could see that her hair was long, thick and golden. Almost like Rory's, but much longer.

Sam put a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Hey, here are some-"

The girl turned to face him.

Sam stared at her in shock. The bolt of lightning, seeing the clearing, seeing a naked woman, all of that was nothing compared to seeing her face now.

It was Rory.

But she looked at him as if she didn't know him. Theories whirled through his head – maybe she'd forgotten the dream? Maybe she'd just forgotten him. Maybe she knew who he was but didn't care.

"Rory?" he whispered, reaching for her face. He brushed his fingers over her cheek and she didn't move or flinch or react at all; she only stared at him with unknowing eyes.

Remembering abruptly that she was naked, he flushed and made sure to concentrate on her face as he stammered uncomfortably, "Uh, put these on."

Sam tried to hand her the shirt and jeans, but she stared at them as though she didn't know what they were as well.

Sam sighed and turned her so her back was to him. "Hold your arms up, um, please?" he asked.

She lifted her arms up obediently and he pulled the shirt over her head. He looked at the jeans, then back at her, and said pleadingly, "Please don't make me put these on you too."

Rory looked down at herself and back up at him. Sam chanced a glance down too, and exhaled in relief when he realised his shirt was more like a dress on her.

A very very short dress, but it covered her up.

"Who are you?" she asked in a child-like voice.

"I'm Sam Winchester," Sam answered. "Come with me?"

She slipped her hand into his and smiled a smile that made his stomach do back-flips. "Okay," she said innocently.

Sam led her over to the Impala. "Dean?" he called.

"What, Sammy?" Dean grumbled. "She's got scratches all over here! And I found a dint! A DINT, Sammy, a DINT!"

"And I found a naked girl lying in the middle of the clearing," Sam said testily. "And what do you know, it's Rory."

Dean looked up in shock. "What?"

Sam pulled Rory forward to show Dean. Rory stared at him wordlessly and he stared back in surprise.

"This is Rory?" Dean asked.

"Yes, this is Rory," Sam responded.

Dean stood slowly as he looked her up and down. Suddenly, he grinned. "Well, Sammy, I didn't think you had it in ya."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked cautiously.

"And I can also see why you haven't stopped thinking about her for the past year," Dean ignored his comment. "But she's way out of your league, Sammy."

Sam scowled at him and changed the subject. "She doesn't seem to remember me, or anything for that matter. I think she's got amnesia."

"Doesn't she have a brother or something?" Dean pointed out. "If she hasn't got amnesia, she'll remember him, right?"

Sam looked at her. "Do you remember Clark, Rory?"

Rory looked back at him uncomprehendingly.

"I guess not," he sighed. "Amnesia, then."

"I must find Kal-El," Rory said, clear and fast.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Who's Kal-El?" Dean asked.

"No idea," Sam said, staring at Rory. "Listen, Dean. I can't remember how to get to her house, so how about we just take her to the hospital?"

"They're gonna ask questions, Sammy," Dean argued. "It's a small town, and they've never seen or heard of you or me before. If we turn up and we know who she is, but she doesn't-"

"All right," Sam sighed. "We'll tell the people that she's got amnesia and we found her. Then they can take her and we'll find a hotel to stay in til Jason arrives."

Dean nodded and, opening his door, got in the car.

**

* * *

Smallville Medical Centre  
**Sam steered Rory through the corridors of the centre, fighting the urge to punch all the men that looked at her.

"Look," Dean pointed. "A reception... counter... thingy. Let's go."

They went up to the orderly behind the counter.

"Excuse me," Dean got his attention, smiling hugely. "We found this girl, uh, in a clearing in the middle of nowhere, right. And she can't remember who she is. So we thought we'd hand her over to you."

The orderly laughed humourlessly. "Another one, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Some chick brought in a guy she found in the middle of nowhere just five minutes ago," the orderly told them, smiling at some private joke. "He couldn't remember anything either."

"Great," Dean said, grinning. "You can bunk them together."

The orderly shook his head. "Like I told her, you have to stay with her until we find someone who can ID her. Hospital policy."

Dean looked at Sam with a frustrated expression. Sam shrugged and said to the orderly, "Two things."

The orderly nodded and Sam went on, "First, where is this other guy and the girl who brought him in, and secondly..." he looked at Rory. "Can we get her some clothes?"

* * *

"In here," the orderly said in a bored voice. "Have a nice night."

Dean looked inside the room. There were two people inside. One was a beautiful woman with long, light brown hair and a good body. The other was a guy with no expression. He had dark hair and would be tall if he stood up.

The girl turned when he stepped inside. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, before hope lit up her face. "Do you know him?" she pointed to the guy.

"Sorry, no," Dean shook his head. "I'm Dean Winchester."

The man's head snapped up suddenly. Sam steered Rory into the room, Sam not noticing him.

Rory however saw him instantly and her face lit up, becoming absorbed as though she was holding an unheard conversation.

"And who are these two?" the girl asked.

"I'm Sam Winchester," Sam said. "Who are you?"

"Lois Lane," the girl said, nodding at them. "Who's your girlfriend?"

"We don't know," Dean covered quickly. "Amnesia, just like your friend," he nodded at the man.

Sam looked at him and did a double take. "What the-"

"Sam, what?" Dean asked.

"Uh, Lois, I gotta talk to my brother for a sec. Do you mind-?" Sam gestured to Rory and her new friend. They sat next to one another on the bed, their heads bent together as though they were sharing a secret.

"Not at all," Lois replied.

Sam pulled Dean outside and they quickly walked just out of earshot of anyone around them.

"All right, Sammy, spit it out," Dean prompted him.

"That guy is Clark Kent," Sammy told him.

"So they're the Kent children," Dean realised. "Wow."

"And I think he might also be this Kal-El she's looking for," Sam continued. "Did you see the way her face lit up?"

"Yeah, I did," Dean said. "But-"

Whatever else he'd wanted to say was interrupted by the topics of their conversation walking past them.

"Hey!" Lois called, running after them. "Where do you think you're going?"

"What happened?" Sam asked, falling into step with her.

"They just took off," Lois told him. "I tried to stop them, but damn that guy is strong!"

"He hurt you?"

"No, he lifted me up and moved me out of the way," Lois clarified.

Sam whistled in disbelief. Of course, he was faking. He knew about the twins and their powers, after all.

Sam ran faster, finally managing to put himself in front of them. He was surprised to realise he was taller than Clark – but that was irrelevant right now.

"Whoa," he said, putting his hands out. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Clark, Rory, Clark, Rory!" a voice screamed happily from behind them. "Clark!"

Sam looked over their heads to see a red headed woman running towards them. Martha Kent.

She reached them and spun Rory around to face her. Clark turned when his sister did and Martha hugged Rory tightly, crying, "It is you! Oh god, I thought I'd lost you both forever!"

She hugged Clark and then Rory again, as though she couldn't decide which one she wanted to hug more.

Dean and Lois caught up to them and Dean asked, "Sam?"

"Who are you?" Rory asked Martha robotically.

Martha looked taken aback. "It's me, sweetie. Your Mom."

"Don't take it personally," Lois told her.

"Yeah, they don't even remember their own names," Sam said quickly.

"Lois Lane," Lois said, holding out her hand. Martha took it and they shook quickly. "I found him lying in a field near Route 31."

"Yeah, and we found her just outside town," Dean explained.

"Thank you so much for helping them," Martha smiled gratefully.

"I guess I'm just a sucker for stray dogs and naked guys," Lois smiled back.

The other three just stared at her. Dean tried desperately to hold back his laughter. Clark and Rory completely ignored everybody else.

"Okay, that did not come out right," Lois laughed, embarrassed. "It's been a long night and I am nicotine deprived."

Martha smiled again and looked back at her children. "Come on, guys. I need to get you home."

"We are waiting for the sign," Clark said tonelessly.

"I think you should have a doctor look at them or something," Lois said helpfully.

"Lois? I'm so thankful for your help, but this is a family matter," Martha hinted.

"Okay," Lois backed away a little. "Here's me, backing away."

She walked off, but Sam and Dean remained behind.

"Um, thank you two as well," Martha said to the brothers. "But-"

"Martha Kent," Sam said quickly. "Why doesn't Rory remember me?"

Martha froze in shock. "How- how did you-?"

"If it helps," Sam said hesitantly, "I'm Sam Winchester."

Dean didn't think it was possible for Martha to look more shocked. But now she did.

"This is my brother, Dean Winchester," Sam went on, trying to fill the silence.

"I think you two had better come with us," Martha told them, glancing around nervously. "Come on, Clark, Rory."

They didn't move and Dean said, "Hey, kids. We can help you find the sign. But you gotta come with, okay?" He walked towards the elevator a little and they followed him. "Okay."

Martha stared at Sam, who was rather disconcerted by the intensity of her gaze. "What?" he asked.

"She used to dream about you, you know," Martha said, almost dreamily. "They scared her to death."

Sam flinched and didn't reply, instead following Dean.

**

* * *

The Loft**  
Sam looked around the loft. Last time he had been here, it had been with a completely different Clark and Rory.

"What happened to Sara?" he asked Martha.

"She recovered," Martha replied. "Moved away using her parents' money. Clark and Rory still talk to her via email sometimes."

Sam nodded and continued to wander around, much like Clark and Rory were.

"What is this place?" Clark asked monotonously.

"Your dad calls it your fortress of solitude," Martha said with a wistful smile. "You come here to think, read and look at the stars."

"This is not our Fortress," Rory announced. "Our Fortress will be beautiful, and much more like home."

"This is your home," Martha said firmly.

"What's she talking about?" Dean asked Sam.

"I don't know," he whispered. Raising his voice, he addressed Martha, "Mrs. Kent, what did Rory tell you about me?"

"She said you were a good person," Martha replied, watching her children with worried eyes. "She said you were a good friend."

"Then why did she have nightmares about me?" he asked, feeling guilty.

"Because it wasn't really you," Martha said with a small smile. "Rory told me that the worst part was always that she met you in a dream, and it was as if her subconsciousness was trying to contact you, only it was always just a 2D facsimile."

This only raised more questions for Sam, but he knew it would be best if he got the answers from Rory herself.

"Who are these people?" Rory asked, holding a photograph.

Sam came over to her and saw three girls, laughing together. One was Rory, one he vaguely recognised as Chloe, and the other...

The other, he had seen in his vision of Jason in Smallville. He'd recognised her then, but couldn't remember who she was or where he had seen her.

Of course, at that point in the dream, he'd been concentrating all of his attention on Rory.

"They are people who love you," Martha said softly, standing on Rory's other side.

Rory put it down dispassionately and picked up another photo. It showed Jonathan Kent, her father.

"We remember this man," she said emotionlessly.

"Good," Martha smiled. "That's your father. You must be starting to remember."

"He is not our father," Clark said darkly from just behind them. "He tried to prevent us being reborn."

"No, Clark," Martha said, upset. "He loves you both very much. He tried to save you from Jor-El."

A sudden wind flared up, blowing through the loft. Rory stared at Martha threateningly.

"Either way, he's dead," she said, anger running deep in her voice.

She dropped the picture and walked out, Clark falling into step with her.

Sam followed instinctively before stopping at the stairs. Pain stabbed at his temples and he groaned.

"Sa-?" he dimly heard Dean ask before pictures obscured his vision.

_

* * *

Rory stood in a dark place that looked like a cemetery. Blue energy crackled from her and then the vision changed. She and Clark were flying through the skies, cold purpose masking their faces._

_Now Chloe was lying in deep snow, shivering. Lois fell down a hill. Jason held a rifle to the Kents. Dean stood in a crystal place, light fixing him to the spot._

_Lana and Jason kissed passionately. Caves with paintings on them whirled over his head as Rory and Clark stood nearby. Martha held a black rock out at them._

_And over it all, a deep voice repeated darkly, "The day has come, Eight, when you must meet your destiny head-on."_

_Then he saw the Colt, right in front of him. He grabbed at it, and blue energy exploded all around him, destroying it._

* * *

And then the visions were gone.

"-mmy?" Dean finished. Apparently, no more than a second had passed.

Sam didn't reply, piecing the visions together. He got the feeling that the only one that was coming any time soon was Clark and Rory flying.

"We have to stop them," he said quickly, running down the stairs. He ran out of the barn, yelling, "Rory! Clark!"

Martha and Dean followed him. Sam had almost reached them when suddenly the twins reached for their ears and fell to their knees on the ground.

"Rory!" Sam fell to his knees next to her. "Rory, are you okay?"

Rory took her hands away from her ears and looked over at Clark. He smiled cruelly, his face full of a malicious determination.

Rory rose to her feet slowly and Sam stood with her, keeping a grip on her arm.

Rory looked back to him and said, a similar smile on her face, "I am Kara of Krypton."

"And I am Kal-El of Krypton," Clark said malevolently.

"It is time to fulfil our destiny," they said in unison.

"Rory, that's not you talking," Sam said calmly. "It's somebody else."

She looked deep into his eyes and said dismissively, "You have not realised your true self, Sam Winchester."

Turning flirty, she said with a grin, "But when you do, give me a call."

She bent her knees and pushed off the ground. Sam barely registered that Clark was doing the same thing as Rory flew into the sky at an unbelievable speed.

"Rory!" Martha screamed.

"What the _hell_?" Dean shouted. "Sammy, what the hell was that?"

Sam turned to face them. Martha now looked absolutely horrified, while Dean just looked confused.

"Please, you can't tell anybody about this," she said shakily. "Please."

"Mrs. Kent," Sam said gently. "I already know."

Martha went from horror to horror and shock. "What?" she whispered.

Sam looked miserable. "Rory and I, we felt kind of... drawn to each other. So she told me her secret, because we promised we'd never meet again, or see each other – that we'd just pretend that the other didn't exist."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Martha asked in disbelief.

"Because there was no way you could find out, and she knew you'd be angry," Sam tried to explain. "It's not her fault."

"You haven't told anyone, though," Martha murmured.

"No, he hasn't," Dean said testily. "Now, let me repeat myself: What the _HELL_ is going on here?!"

"You didn't tell your own brother?" Martha asked, awed.

Sam shook his head. "Rory trusted me with her secret, and I – I trusted her with mine."

"You told her?" Dean asked angrily. "Sammy-"

"Look, there isn't time!" Sam shouted. "Get mad at me later, Dean, we have to find them!"

"Is that what you saw?"

"It's part of it, yes."

"What you saw?" Martha questioned, confused.

"I have visions of the future," Sam said straight-out. "Rory and Clark are going to be in these caves with paintings sometime soon. Mrs. Kent, you have to stay here and get a black rock, I don't know where from."

"Black?" Martha asked. "Are you sure it wasn't green?"

"No, it wasn't kryptonite," Sam muttered impatiently. "At least, not the green kind."

"You think it was black kryptonite?" Martha almost laughed.

"Sammy, you've got about five seconds before I explode," Dean interrupted.

"Do you mind-" Sam asked.

Martha sighed and said, "Well, he's seen them _flying_. He might as well know."

Sam explained to Dean, as concisely as possible, about Krypton and the twins. He told him about the powers he knew of and the two varieties of kryptonite.

"Hang on," Martha stopped him. "They've each got a new power now. Rory's is element control and Clark's is superhearing."

"Wow," Dean nodded, impressed. "And now they can fly?"

"I really don't know," Martha sighed.

"Well, listen. How about Dean and I go and take a look around for them, and you stay here and wait for the black rock?" Sam suggested.

Martha nodded in agreement. "Thank you, so much," she smiled. "I can see why Rory liked you so much."

Sam ducked his head in embarrassment, quickly going to the car and getting in.

**

* * *

Kawatche Caves  
**Kara watched the small cavern close behind her and smirked.

"The first part is over," she said to Kal-El.

"Yes," he agreed. "Now there are only two pieces left to find."

They turned to leave and saw Martha Kent, their would-be mother, standing before them. She held a small box in her hands, but that was irrelevant.

"You should not have come here, Martha Kent," Kara threatened darkly.

They walked forward. Without a word, Martha opened the box and held out a black rock.

Kara felt alarm spread over her face. The rock began to glow a shimmery purple-blue colour.

She stumbled back awkwardly, bathed in the light emanating from the rock. In that moment, everything ceased to exist except one fact;

Aurora Kent was still inside her, and she wanted control back.

Another torso burst from hers, a furious expression on its face. She snarled back, punching forward. Aurora grabbed her fist in one hand and punched her with the other.

Aurora began to pummel her hard with her fists. Kara began to feel her consciousness being overridden by the stronger girl's will.

Everything snapped back into focus for a split second. Two men stood near the entrance to the cave. Martha Kent stood several paces in front of them, terrified. Her brother had fallen to the floor, defeated by Clark Kent.

A fate she now shared as she collapsed on the ground.

**

* * *

A/N Gasp! Cliffhanger! Not that any of you know what actually happens, of course. *twitchy eyes* So, anyways, as of now, I'm stepping up all clues to the identities of 'The Eight Kryptonians'. Cause I'm awesome like that.**

**First person to guess correctly who all eight are (I want full names, too, cause that's cool) gets a cameo! Or a dedication. Whichever you prefer.**

**At least, if they can guess before I start spelling out who they are. :o)**


	41. Crusade Part 2

**Dedicated to FranknNancyHardy – he knows why! :o)**

**

* * *

Crusade – Forty-First Chapter**  
"Sam," Dean muttered to him as they watched Rory collapse. "Sam, this is it. If you really want to keep your promise, we have to leave now."

Sam didn't even have to think about what he was saying. "I'm not leaving."

* * *

Rory stirred. She heard sobbing coming from nearby and a hand touched her every few seconds. She froze for a moment as Kara's memories whipped through her head. She processed them slowly, finally realising something:

_She wasn't dreaming._

Rory sat bolt upright, searching for him. A movement drew her attention to the cave entrance, where the man she looked for stood with a stranger.

She didn't care about the stranger at the moment, though.

"Sam!" she screamed ecstatically. She threw herself across the cave, landing in his arms and laughing hysterically.

"Dear freaking God, you _are _real!" she cried.

His laugh sounded in her ears and he said, "I thought you always believed that?"

Sam put her down, grinning uncontrollably.

"Well, you know, it's been a year, and I don't know..." she trailed off and grinned at him. "I just can't believe you're _here_."

"I'm sorry I broke my promise," he said, his grin fading into a small smile.

"Do you really think I care?" Rory asked, hugging him again.

She remembered Clark and turned quickly, only to see him standing just behind her.

She hugged him, but while she'd hugged Sam out of joy, she hugged Clark for comfort and to comfort him.

Rory let go of her brother and fought the urge to go back to hugging Sam. After all, her very over-protective brother, who just happened to have superstrength, _was_ standing right there...

"Hi," the stranger grinned at her. "I'm Dean Winchester, Sam's brother. You must be Rory."

"Oh! So you're the famous Dean," Rory said with a sardonic smile.

"And you're the real Rory Kent," he replied. "Now I know why-"

Sam elbowed him in the side.

"You're Clark, of course," Sam held out his hand. Clark took it and shook it. "I've heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you."

"Really," Clark smiled, friendly. Abruptly, he asked, "So how old are you?"

Sam looked taken aback. "I'm 23."

Clark frowned and Rory stood on his foot.  
_  
Invulnerable,_ he reminded her.

_Stop that_, she admonished. _It's not nice._

_Screw nice._

"Well, Sammy," Dean said, interrupting them, "We'd better go find a place to stay."

"Oh, Mom, could they maybe stay with us?" Rory asked her, pleading with her eyes.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Martha hedged. "Where would they go?"

"There's a couch at the house, and we could set up a mattress or something somewhere. If you two don't mind..." Rory suggested.

"A hotel room will do us," Sam said with a thankful smile.

"Yeah, Rory, they'll be fine," Clark agreed.

"Clark, there's only one hotel in Smallville, and it's incredibly overpriced," Rory pointed out. "But, Dean, Sam, you guys could stay with us for free."

Martha looked at her pointedly.

"Or you could work for your board," Rory offered.

"Money isn't exactly our strong suit," Dean murmured to Sam.

"All right," Sam gave in. "Thank you all so much."

A phone began to ring suddenly. Martha pulled hers out of her pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

Her face froze in shock.

"Mom?" Rory asked her.

"I'll be there right away," Martha said quickly, hanging up.

"Mom what is it?" Clark asked.

"It's your father," Martha said, a smile lighting up her face and dispelling their fears. "He's awake!"

Clark grinned and Rory said, "So what happens next? It starts raining chocolate?"

"Uh, Mrs. Kent, is it all right if we just go to your place and-" Sam began, but Martha cut him off.

"If you two are going to be staying with us, then you should come and meet Jonathan," Martha pointed out. "Come on."

She grabbed Rory by the arm and pulled her outside, murmuring to her, "You, young lady, are in so much trouble."

"Why?" Rory asked petulantly.

"For telling him your secret," Martha replied.

"I thought you liked him," Rory whispered.

"Yes, but your father?" Martha pointed out. "Especially not after... you-know-who."

"What does a villain from a fictional series have to do with this?"

"I mean Lex, sweetie."

"Mom," she sighed. "I'm over that now, I promise."

"Whatever you say," Martha smiled.

They walked out into the light and Rory stopped. "Whoa!"

A gorgeous black car sat before them, right next to the truck.

"Is that a '67-" Rory began.

"Chevy Impala?" Dean finished as he, Sam and Clark left the cave. "Yes it is."

"That is one cool car," Rory grinned. "Yours?"

"Sammy," Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder. "I very much like this girl."

Rory laughed and Clark scowled.

"Way out of your league," Dean whispered in his ear.

"Mom, do you mind if I go in the Impala?" Rory asked.

"I'm coming too," Clark said quickly.

"I'll meet you there," Martha permitted.

She went to the truck and climbed in, driving off as fast as she could. Rory, Clark, Sam and Dean got in the Impala and Dean started her. The last song he'd been listening to automatically came on.

The familiar guitar intro to 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by AC/DC began and Rory exclaimed, "I love this song!"

Dean looked over at Sam and grinned. "Clark Kent, your sister is awesome."

**

* * *

Smallville Medical Centre**  
Clark, Rory, Sam and Dean walked through the corridors of the hospital. Dean and Sam stopped just outside the door to Jonathan's room and Clark went inside.

Rory stayed with them for a moment though, asking, "Aren't you guys gonna come in?"

"In a minute," Dean nodded. "But you guys should have your family reunion without us breathing down your necks."

Rory nodded in understanding and entered the room.

"So what now, Sammy?" Dean asked his brother angrily. "You wanna stick around and not do our job?"

"We have to stay at least until Jason arrives," Sam pointed out reflexively.

"You don't care about Jason," Dean hissed quietly. "You haven't talked to him since you were eleven years old, Sammy. The only reason you wanted to come here was –"

"Look Dean," Sam hissed back, "I didn't come here just for Rory."

"But she's part of it, isn't she?" Dean demanded.

"Maybe she is," Sam allowed. "But what Sara said – Dean, she said that there's 'eight of us'. Eight, Dean. And that four were in Smallville and four weren't – yet."

"So?" Dean asked. "What the hell should that have to do with us?"

"Think about it, Dean," Sam said in frustration. "I'm one of the four who weren't in Smallville then. Who are three people you can think of who have just arrived in Smallville or are just about to arrive in Smallville apart from me?"

Dean sighed. "You don't seriously think-"

"There's me," Sam interrupted. "There's you, there's Jason, and Lois has only just gotten here. Remember?"

"Spit it out, Sammy," Dean ordered.

"I don't think it's a coincidence we're here," Sam said defiantly. "I think we're a part of something bigger than we can imagine."

"Sam?"

Rory was standing at the door. "Come and meet my dad, guys?" she asked with a smile.

Sam and Dean followed her inside.

Jonathan looked at them, his typical frown on his face. "Which one of you is Sam?" he asked.

"Uh, that would be me, sir," Sam said uncomfortably. "This is my older brother, Dean."

"Older, huh?" Jonathan asked, smiling a little. Sam relaxed at that.

"Tell me Sam, how old are you?" Jonathan questioned innocently.

"Dad!" Rory chastised, scandalised.

Clark shook his head, grinning. Martha seemed to be holding back laughter.

Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder and grinned cockily.

Jonathan grinned also and said, "Welcome to Smallville."

**

* * *

A/N I was planning on doing the whole Lois-in-the-graveyard thing, but I decided not to. All that really happens is that Lois teases Rory, before they pretty much decide they're fast friends. :o) Go Lois.**

**I know there wasn't much of her here, but I was concentrating more on the Sam-Dean dynamic. Especially the Sam/Rory thing. :o) There'll be more of Lois soon, promise.**


	42. Gone Part 1

**Gone – Forty-Second Chapter  
**Clark and Lois walked several metres in front of Sam and Rory as the four of them made their way to the site of Chloe's safe house.

"So why is Dean staying behind?" Rory questioned. "I thought he liked the whole mystery-solving thing."

"He doesn't like staying in any one place too long," Sam replied. "So he's looking for a hunt."

"He's really that eager to leave?" Rory asked, hiding her sadness.

"Dean just wants to find Jason, tell him what happened to our dad, and move on," Sam explained. "He likes hunting. He's good at it. And he doesn't really have a reason to stay here, does he?"

"True," Rory sighed as they reached the top of the hill.

Before them lay an area surrounded with yellow police tape. Clark and Lois had already stopped, shocked at the devastation.

All that was left of the house was blackened rubble, including a burnt car. Some wooden beams still stood haphazardly, but they were the only things indicating that there had ever been a proper, standing house on that spot.

"This is Chloe's safe house?" Lois asked quietly, stricken.

"You mean this was Chloe's safe house," Rory corrected sadly.

"Oh my God, Chloe," Lois breathed in shock, "what did they do to you?"

Sam walked casually into the site, ducking under the police tape.

Rory followed him, saying quietly, "I forgot. You're an expert at crime scenes."

He glanced back at her, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I can't help how I was raised."

"I know," Rory sighed. "It's just, I've known Chloe for years, and... it's hard to see anybody being even slightly cavalier about her death."

"I thought you said she wasn't dead," Sam pointed out, looking around for sulfur. Hey, it never hurt to check out all the possibilities.

Rory shrugged. "Her body's not in her grave, but then again, from the looks of this place," she looked around, "I daresay there wasn't much left to bury."

"Sam, Rory?" Lois called from a little way away. "This place gives me the creeps. Can we go?"

"Sure," Rory called back. "Anything else you want to check out, Sammy?" she asked, lowering her voice.

He shook his head absentmindedly. "It doesn't have the traditional earmarkings of any supernatural being I've seen..." he murmured.

"That's because this isn't a case, Sam," Rory reminded him. "This is the work of Lionel Luthor."

Sam nodded and they turned to leave.

A sudden rumbling stopped them in their tracks. Not far away, Lois and Clark stopped too, turning to look for the source of the noise.

Sam grabbed Rory's arm and pulled her over to the other two, letting go once they were there.

"I think we should go, now," he called over the noise.

Lois's eyes widened. Rory turned to see what she was looking at and saw a jet black helicopter, flying close to the ground – and to them.

The helicopter stopped in mid air, hovering nearby. Two men dressed in black combat suits jumped out of it and lowered themselves to the ground quickly.

Both of them had large guns strapped to their backs.

"Run!" Clark yelled, shoving Lois towards the hill. Sam grabbed Rory's arm again and yanked her away, running after Lois.

"Clark!" Rory yelled over her shoulder. She used her strength to pull Sam off her, telling him quickly, "Go help Lois, we'll be fine!"

She ran back towards Clark. Sam hesitated before chasing Lois down the hill once again. He pulled out his gun and cocked it, ready for the men.

"Rory, get out of here," Clark hissed as the two men disconnected their cables from the helicopter. The helicopter flew off after Sam and Lois. "Go get rid of the helicopter!"

"And leave you here alone?" Rory pointed out.

"You'll distract me," he retorted. "Sam and Lois need you more."

One of the men ran at them, pointing his gun at them. Rory threw her arm up, telekinetically throwing him across the safe house.

"Clark," she glared.

"Look, my powers are more suited to hand-to-hand," Clark reasoned. "Yours are more suited to, say... bringing down that helicopter.

Rory sighed and supersped after Lois and Sam.

She stopped at the bottom of the hill, watching as Lois fought with one of the men in black, while another one fought Sam – he must have been disarmed.

The helicopter hovered nearby as if waiting for them to tire.

Rory concentrated on it, using her fire control to heat up the engine. _Clark, you could have done this yourself,_ she thought to her brother.

He supersped up beside her and said with a grin, "My bad."

The helicopter sank to the ground, skidding along the dirt road. Sam knocked out his enemy seconds before Lois did the same to her opponent.

Rory and Clark supersped down to the dirt road and stopped not too far away from Sam and Lois. The latter two ran towards them. Lois had a small grin on her face while Sam looked agitated.

"Well don't just stand there," Lois said, as she got closer. She grabbed Rory's hand and said, "Come on."

The four of them ran away from the crash site.

**

* * *

Kent Farm  
**"Hey, Dean," Sam said to his brother, who was currently occupying the couch in the living room, using Sam's laptop to browse the internet.

"Hey!" Rory stopped him before he could sit down. "You're covered in dirt, remember? No sitting!"

"At all?" Sam asked. "Can't you just get me a towel or something?"

"Do I look like your servant?" Rory demanded.

"No, but it is your house," Sam pointed out, trying not to laugh. "I don't know where the towels are."

Rory glared at him and disappeared. A second later, she was back in her original spot, thrusting a towel towards him.

He grabbed it off her, spread it over the couch and sat carefully on it, making sure he was completely on the towel. He then grinned obnoxiously at Rory, who rolled her eyes and ran upstairs, saying, "Lois! Hurry up!"

"You two bicker like you've already been dating ten years," Dean grumbled, "or like you've been married twenty."

"Dean," Sam sighed. "Find anything?"

"No," Dean said, still in his world-weary tone. "Which I know pleases you, I mean, I know how happy you are to be getting out of this magnificent place."

"Look, Dean, Jason's going to be here in a couple of days," Sam reassured him.

"And then what?" Dean asked angrily. "We just sit around here so you can play happy families? Sammy, if you wanna get laid, I'm all for that."

Sam made a choking noise as Dean went on, lowering his voice, "But a seventeen year old high school student – not to mention _alien_ – is not your best bet, okay?"

"I don't wanna get laid!" Sam hissed, outraged. "I know that you wanna hit the road again. And I wanna keep helping people too! But we haven't even heard _of_ Jason in eleven years. Don't you wanna see your brother again? Get to know him like you never got the chance to?"

"As far as I'm concerned, he might as well not be my brother," Dean said resentfully. "He abandoned us. He ran away, Sam. Remember that? Besides, we both know that Jason is just an excuse."

"Maybe he is," Sam admitted, staring Dean down heatedly. "But I feel like I can talk to her, Dean. It's not just these feelings for her you seem to think I have."

Dean looked at him patronisingly.

"I don't feel anything more than friendship for her!" Sam whisper-yelled.

"All right, Sammy, whatever you say," Dean agreed in a clearly disagreeing tone. His face brightened as he said mischievously, "Does that mean I-?"

"No," Sam interrupted shortly.

"But-"

"No!"

Dean shook his head, a wide grin on his face.

Half an hour later, Rory came down the stairs wearing a plaid shirt that came down to her mid-thigh... and apparently nothing else.

"Hey, do you guys want anything to eat or drink?" she asked the brothers. Both of them were focused on the computer until she spoke, at which point they both looked up at her.

As soon as Dean saw her, however, he looked over at Sam, an even wider grin on his face now.

"What do you say, Sammy?" Dean asked his little brother, who was currently struck dumb by seeing Rory wearing just that... in broad daylight.

"Huh?" Sam snapped out of his daze after staring at Rory for a full minute.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Rory asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, great, really, I'm just... I'm good," Sam finished lamely.

"Hungry?" Rory now looked as though she was struggling to hide a smile.

"No," Sam answered quickly. "No, I'm good."

Rory nodded, still fighting a grin. "Dean?"

"Um, do you have tomato, bacon, lettuce, cheese, ham, and... oh I don't know... surprise me," Dean said with a grin.

"You want all that?" Rory asked, surprised.

"On a sandwich."

"Okay," Rory shrugged. She supersped around the kitchen, frying the bacon with her fire-control and sticking it all together quickly, then putting it on a plate.

"Here you go, Dean," she handed him the plate. "Now, I'm heading back upstairs to stop Clark wasting all the hot water. Sam, you're up next."

Without waiting for a response she ran (at normal speed) up the stairs.

Sam let out a thankful sigh, leaning back on the couch.

Dean took a bite of his sandwich and groaned happily. He looked over at Sam, his grin still firmly in place.

"I take back what I said about Sarah," he said.

"What did you say about Sarah?" Sam asked monotonously.

"I told you to marry her, remember?" Dean reminded him. "Anyway, I take it back. Marry _her,_" he pointed after Rory.

Sam merely groaned, and not happily, either.

**

* * *

The next morning, early**  
Rory woke up, the early morning sun shining in through her window. She sat up in bed and saw Clark, lying on a mattress at the foot of her bed. _Oh, right,_ she remembered. _Lois and the Winchesters._

She quickly got out of bed and got changed as silently as possible. She walked down the stairs just as quietly and paused when she saw Lois sneaking through the kitchen to the door.

Rory backed up a little, watching Lois leave. _Where is she going?_ she thought to herself. _Only one way to find out._

She concentrated on her thoughts and soon found them.

_Good. I'm out of the house. Now it's off to the graveyard to see if Clarky was right with his little freak-hunch. But-_

That was all Rory needed to hear. If she wanted to find Lois, she now knew exactly where to go.

**

* * *

A few hours later**  
"Has anybody seen Lois?"

Rory looked up at Clark. "Why?"

"She _is_ supposed to be helping me find out what happened to Chloe," Clark pointed out.

Rory stood. "I know where she is. I'll go get her."

"You wanna maybe take the truck?" Clark stopped her just as she was about to run off.

Rory smiled sheepishly. "Sure."

Clark tossed her the keys and she ran out, calling, "Back in a few."

**

* * *

Graveyard**  
Rory climbed out of the truck, walking into the graveyard. It was so quiet and peaceful – although she doubted that was something most people connected with graveyards. But still...

She was interrupted when she heard a crashing sound nearby and somebody yelling.

Rory began to sprint, without superspeeding, towards the noise.

She ran around some trees and came to a standstill when she saw what was going on.

Lois stood there, nearby Chloe's grave, which she'd apparently dug up. She was talking to another girl Rory recognised...

"Lana!" Rory shouted happily, running towards her friend.

Rory and Lana had made up for everything that had happened between them just before she'd left for Paris. Being almost killed by the clone of your mutual childhood best friend could do that to you.

"Rory!" Lana smiled, meeting Rory halfway and hugging her.

"When did you get back?" Rory asked excitedly.

"Yesterday," Lana replied. "I haven't heard from you at all the last three months, what happened?"

Rory froze up a little before explaining vaguely, "Well, things have been... happening... I guess..."

"Okay," Lana said with a confused laugh.

"You two know each other?" Lois asked, looking at the two of them.

Rory nodded. "Lana's been my best friend since we were about three."

"Wow," Lois said, impressed.

"Lois, Clark was looking for you, so we should probably head back to the farm," Rory told her.

"Well I should probably take off too," Lana said with a small smile. "Rory, I rented the apartment over the Talon from Lex, so..."

"Okay," Rory said, smiling back. "I'll see you later."

Lana nodded and walked off.

"So what happened here?" Rory asked Lois, slightly accusing.

"Look, Clark said that Chloe's body wasn't in her grave," Lois replied defensively. "So I came and dug it up to see if he was telling the truth."

"You dug up a grave just to see if my brother was telling the truth?" Rory laughed incredulously, taking Lois's arm and walking towards the entrance of the graveyard.

"Your brother must have ESP or something, cause he was right," Lois ignored her taunts.

"Just a hunch," Rory said breezily. "Come on; let's get you back to the farm."

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
Rory got out of the truck, back home once again. Clark walked over to her, saying, "You found her, good."

"Hey, Clark," Lois said with an obnoxious grin. "Guess who we saw today?"

"Nobody," Rory interrupted, shooting Lois a warning glare.

"Who'd you see?" Clark directed his question at Lois.

"Some girl named Lana Lang," Lois said, blissfully unaware of Rory's glare. "Rory's best friend."

Sam came outside to greet the girls as Clark asked, surprised, "Lana's back in town?"

"Since yesterday," Rory sighed.

"Lana, as in your best friend?" Sam asked quickly.

"Yeah," Rory admitted. "She's back from Paris. I forgot to ask why."

"Oh," Clark said lamely.

Awkward silence ensued.

"Well I'm just gonna go clean up," Lois said loudly, breaking the silence.

"Hey Rory, can I talk to you for a second?" Sam asked.

"Sure," Rory said, leading him into the barn.

As they walked up the stairs to the loft, Sam questioned, "Lana Lang is home from Paris, is that right?"

"Yeah," Rory confirmed again. "Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Because I saw her, in my vision of Jason," Sam explained.

"Who's Jason?" Rory asked.

"Jason is Dean's twin brother. He got sick of the whole hunting gig, and one night after he and Dad had a massive fight, he ran away," Sam told her sadly. "He was fifteen."

"And you haven't seen him since?" Rory guessed.

Sam nodded. "It's been over a decade. And we came to find him, because I had a vision that he'd be here soon. In that vision, he was in Paris...

"With Lana," Rory realised. "Are they together or something?"

"Yeah, they are," Sam sighed. "So if Lana's here, then I don't think Jason's too far behind her."

"Why exactly did you come to find him?" Rory asked. "You and Dean have been travelling for a year; surely you could've tracked him down before now."

Sam looked down, uncomfortable and upset. "Our father is dead."

"Sam, I'm sorry," Rory said, putting her hand on his arm.

"It's just, even if Jason chose to leave us, he's still family, and he deserves to know, right?" Sam asked edgily.

"Of course he does," Rory smiled gently.

Sam looked at her and was glad she couldn't read his mind; otherwise she'd know that the real reason he'd been so eager to come to Smallville was not in Paris, but standing right in front of him.

**

* * *

That night**  
"Listen, I really think we're onto something here," Lois's loud voice drifted up the stairs to Sam, Rory and Dean. Dean was still on the laptop, looking for a hunt.

"I did my research, and it turns out LuthorCorp paid for Chloe's funeral," Lois went on. "Why would they do that? It doesn't make any sense."

"I guess the real question to ask would be why they buried an empty casket for nothing," Rory called out to her.

"Exactly," Lois said. There was silence as she and Clark reached the loft. "Clark, have you heard a word I've said?"

"Huh?" Clark said, his eyes focusing again.

"Oh, Clark," Rory sighed. "You probably won't even run into her until school starts again."

"Who?" Clark said in an attempt to be casual.

Rory shook her head. Suddenly, there was the sound of a helicopter just outside the loft. A blinding white searchlight shone inside and debris blew in through the window.

Rory stood and went to the window, trying to see what was going on.

"Come on!" Lois shouted. "We gotta go!"

She grabbed Clark by the arm and went for the stairs, dragging him with her. Dean had shut the laptop and was looking worried, as was Sam.

Just as Lois and Clark reached the top of the stairs, a man walked up the stairs towards them. He was dressed in a military uniform covered in badges and medals. There was a hard, cold look on his face.

He stared down Clark for a moment before looking at Lois angrily.

"Hi, Daddy," Lois said, unafraid.

The other four jerked their heads towards her, shock on all their faces.

Lois just smiled.

**

* * *

A/N Sorry about the lack of updates, my muse went AWOL. And I'm going to Tasmania tomorrow for a week and a half, and will be completely without internet. Then I go back to school. So updates may become erratic... sorry everybody!  
**


	43. Gone Part 2

**Gone – Forty-Third Chapter  
Kent Farm**  
Rory stood at the window, watching Lois talk to her father. Sam Lane was a three-star general, which was why Martha had invited him to stay for dinner.

Clark was currently arguing that point with her, in fact.

"He's a three star general, Clark," Martha reminded her son. "He deserves some respect."

Lois and Sam reached the gate.

"Heads up," Rory said, quickly leaving the window to stand with Sam and Dean. "They're coming inside."

The Lanes walked through the kitchen door to see Jonathan and Martha standing in front of the stairs with Clark just off to their right. Rory, Sam and Dean stood to the left of the Kent parents, and all of them greeted the Lanes with smiles.

"This is some place you got here, Mr and Mrs Kent," General Lane said affably. "And again I'd like to thank you for keeping an eye on my little Lo."

Martha smiled. The General focused his attention on Jonathan, holding out a cigar.

"Can I offer you a Chavelo?" he asked. "Hand rolled with some of the finest tobacco in the U.S. of A."

Jonathan smiled and reached out to take it. His smile faltered and he drew back his hand, saying, "No, I, uh... my heart isn't exactly what it used to be."

General Lane nodded and looked back at Martha. "I'm going to have to take a raincheck on your hospitality, Mrs Kent," he said gruffly.

"You're welcome any time," Martha replied, shaking his hand.

"Thank you," he said. He looked at his daughter and said, "Let's double time it, Lo."

Lois walked over to Rory and hugged her. She whispered in her ear, "This is about Chloe. You and Clark need to find the connection to LuthorCorp."

Lois stepped back at and smiled at Rory. Lois glanced at the Winchester brothers, then at Clark, silently thanking all of them. She left through the same door she and her father came in through.

"Good night now," the General smiled pleasantly.

"Good night," Jonathan smiled back. General Lane followed his daughter out.

**

* * *

The Loft, after dinner  
**"So what did Lois say?" Sam asked Rory as the four of them climbed the stairs to the loft.

"She said we had to find the connection to LuthorCorp," Rory replied.

"Well of course she did," Clark interjected. "She probably thinks that the military turning up is all to do with Chloe."

"To be fair, Clark, it probably is," Rory pointed out. "Do you think he'd call the cavalry just because she stayed out past curfew?"

"Yeah, well, tell you what," Dean began gruffly, "You two can go check on Luthor, and we'll stay here and try to hack into the LuthorCorp database."

"No, _I_ will go and see Lex, _alone_, and Rory will stay here and help you two," Clark amended.

"Clark, this whole over-protective gig, it's getting really old, really fast," Rory complained.

"Too bad," Clark said angrily. "I'm not letting him near you until he finds some way of proving that he's changed."

Rory rolled her eyes and Clark muttered, "Bye."

Without further ado he sped out of the loft.

"What was that about?" Sam asked, not showing his concern.

"Clark is my brother," Rory said evasively. "He thinks it's bad for me to be around Lex at the moment."

"Why?" Dean asked the obvious.

"We found out three months ago that he was investigating us," Rory sighed, seeing no way around it.

Dean sensed something she wasn't telling them. "And that's the only reason why Clark's in defence-mode?"

"Yes," Rory lied simply, putting it off as long as possible. She didn't want to have to tell Sam about Lex.

"Rory," Sam said warningly.

Rory sighed again and said wearily, "I went out with Lex for about... I don't know... six months or so. I broke up with him three months ago; when we discovered his investigations. Clark is not very happy with me being around him because of that past. So I haven't so much as seen Lex in three months."

"Isn't that because you were trapped in a cave wall by your biological father?" Dean reminded her. "That had nothing to do with Clark."

Rory shrugged. "Potayto, potato."

"How did we not hear about that?" Sam asked, hiding his emotions. "It should have been all over... well, everything. Lex Luthor, billionaire, who's just sent his father to jail for the murder of his grandparents, who's just taken over LuthorCorp, going out with a sixteen year old?"

"I was seventeen, actually," Rory pointed out. "And we kept it a secret... for a while. And the tabloids were the only ones that got hold of it before we broke up, so of course nobody believed it."

Sam looked away from her, fighting a very strange internal battle. One part of him was extremely upset over this supposed 'betrayal'; kept saying that if she really felt the way he did she would never have gone out with somebody else.

Another part was reminding him about Sarah, (to which the first part responded that nothing really happened) and anyway, she knew Luthor a lot longer than him, and Luthor was actually around.

And then there was the other part that remembered Jess; that used her once-beloved face as a weapon to guilt him into leaving Smallville and never coming back.

Rory watched Sam, her poker face firmly in place. Inside, she was suffering just as much as he was. Rory had realised, not too long ago, that she seemed to have a 'type' of guy – a guy who was older and more mature then herself, a guy who was mysterious and secretive and, well... bad for her.

Even Jared, who hadn't really been mysterious or secretive, had ended up leaving to save the world. _So there it is,_ Rory thought heavily. _I like guys who are older, secretive and have a major hero-complex. Hooray._

Dean looked from his brother to Rory, just about exploding in frustration. Honestly, it was like Sarah all over again – only he could tell that Sam liked Rory more than he had liked Sarah. After all, Sam had been pining over Rory almost as long as he'd been mourning Jess.

The saddest thing about this whole, crazy ride was that evidently guilt was tearing Sam apart. Dean knew his brother better than anybody else did and he could clearly see how much Sam liked Rory... and yet how he felt that doing anything with her was disloyal to Jess's memory.

And now things were further complicated by Rory's past with a guy who was obviously bad news. He put his own father in jail, for God's sake! What kind of a person betrays his own family?

In Dean's mind, the worst crime anyone could commit was the betrayal of a family member. Not only had the younger Luthor done just that, but his father had gone one further and betrayed both parents.

There was silence for several minutes as Sam stared moodily out the window and Rory stared sadly into space, both of them studiously avoiding looking at each other.

"Maybe we should all just pretend that we never mentioned your love lives and stop sulking?" Dean suggested. Neither of his companions appeared to hear him and he sighed.

Standing suddenly from the couch, Sam said quickly, "I'm getting kinda tired, so I think I'll head off to bed. Goodnight."

Without further ado, he made for the stairs, leaving Dean and Rory alone in the loft.

Dean waited until he could no longer hear his brother's footsteps, then turned to the girl next to him.

"Hey, Rory."

Rory looked back at him and arched an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.

"Listen," Dean started, "since I first met you, I've never actually had a chance to talk to you, and there have been some things I've been wanting to say to you without Sam or Clark around."

Rory nodded slowly and said, "Okay, shoot."

"I know that Sam told you a lot," Dean said quietly. "Did he ever mention his girlfriend?"

"Once or twice, I think," Rory replied. "But not her name."

"Jess," Dean told her. "He was going to marry her, just before she died."

"And she died in the same way your mother did," Rory remembered. She realised quickly what she'd said and apologized, "Dean, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. The thing is..." he trailed off, looking at her carefully. "You look a little bit like her. Same blonde hair, same skin, same kind of innocence-"

"Innocence?" Rory asked, fighting laughter. "I may not hunt demons and vengeful spirits, but I'm pretty far from innocent."

Dean waved his hand airily. "I mean that Sam sees you as innocent. Look, the point is that you're a lot like Jess, which _might_ be one of the reasons why Sam likes you."

Rory's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

Dean ignored as he continued, "The thing is that I know Sam very well, and when it comes to beautiful blonde girls – aka you – he's afraid of two things. One, that you'll die the same way our mother did, the same way Jess did."

"Why would I die like them?" Rory asked. "I'm Kryptonian. I can take care of myself."

Dean shook his head and said, "Two, he's afraid of... I don't know, betraying Jess?"

"Betraying her?"

"Or her memory," Dean backtracked. "Cause he used to be in love with her... the same thing happened about a month ago, with this girl called Sarah. Only she didn't look or act like Jess at all."

"I'm sorry," Rory said, controlling the anger that was rising in her throat, "but did you just say that he had a girlfriend since we met?"

"Not exactly," Dean said hesitantly. "He liked her, but he was all caught up with Jess – they just kissed. That's all."

"So what, he thinks I slept with Lex?" Rory asked, her control slipping. "He's being a hypocrite!"

"He _likes_ you, Rory," Dean tried to explain. "He's hardly being rational. Besides, Lex isn't exactly a good guy."

"So he thinks I don't like him, just because of Lex?" Rory assumed. "He just has no idea, does he."

"I think you should talk to him about that last bit, Rory," Dean pointed out. "He's got no idea because you haven't told him."

Rory stared at the ground morosely. "He'd blame himself."

"Blame himself for what?" Dean asked.

Rory sighed. She stood and began to pace as she said nervously, "For the past year, I've been... having dreams. Nightmares, actually. Ever since I met Sam."

"You've been having nightmares?" Dean reacted badly to this news, especially seeing as he didn't know the extent of Rory's powers – for all he knew, they were visions of the future, just like the ones Sam had.

"About Sam," Rory whispered blankly. "Horrible nightmares-" she shuddered.

"What happened in them?" Dean questioned.

Rory came and sat next to him once again. "There were four or five – types, I suppose you could say," she said tiredly. "There was one where Sam went bad, and I was still good and I had to stop him. One where we were both bad, and we destroyed the world."

"I can see why they were nightmares," Dean said, trying to get her to lighten up. It didn't work and he sighed, moving closer to her as he said awkwardly, "I've never been really good at comforting anybody, about anything."

Rory didn't move as Dean went on, "But, see, you and me, we're a little bit alike, I think. We both have our doubts about our place in the world – for different reasons, course. Me, it's cause I'm a hunter. It's what I do. It's the only life I've ever known."

"You were trained to be a killer." Rory's voice was soft and a little strained. "I was born to be a tyrant. You're right, Dean, we're not so different. We both have family we'd do anything to protect – except in your case, the ones you want to protect will actually let you."

There was silence for a moment.

"We can't stay here for long, you know." Dean spoke very quietly, as if he almost didn't want her to hear him say it. "We have to keep on the move – stop the authorities pinning us down."

"I guessed," Rory replied, her voice just as hushed. "You're just waiting for Jason, and then you're gone, right?" Though it was a question, there was no inflection at the end of the sentence.

"You're the main reason he wanted to come," Dean said to her. He didn't care what she did with the information – she knew already that Sam liked her, and how complicated it all was. It was up to her, what she did.

Rory shook her head unconsciously. "It's up to him. He's got more issues with – with everything, than I do. If he wants to... do... anything, then he has to do it, and not me. I'm not going to pressure him."

"Rory-" Dean crumpled up his hair in agitation. "But it's _obvious_ what he wants, and what you want!"

"But you just said it yourself," Rory said defiantly. "Part of the reason he likes me is Jess, and that's the main reason why he won't..." she trailed off, determined not to put it into words. "Until he's over that, I'm going to stay his friend."

Dean sighed. "You know what the problem with this place is?"

Rory looked at him expressionlessly.

"It screws up his head, and so I want to leave, plus we really should be hunting," Dean explained. "But then it makes him so happy, and when we leave he'll be pissy till we get back. And it's all your fault, so I shouldn't like you. But I can't help it."

Rory cracked a smile and said, "I'm just a naturally likeable person."

**

* * *

Next morning**  
"Morning, Clark," Rory said, grabbing the juice off him before he could drink it and pouring some into a glass. "What did Lex say?"

Clark rolled his eyes at her and said, "He didn't say anything, of course. He denied having anything to do with anything. But you remember the cigar General Lane offered Dad?"

Rory nodded, sitting down with a bowl of cereal. "A Chavelo, wasn't that it?"

"Yep. Thing is," Clark said, sitting down with his own cereal, "Lex had a burnt out one in his ashtray."

"And Lex doesn't smoke," Rory grinned.

"So I think we should get into his office," Clark said, lowering his voice as footsteps came down the stairs.

"Relax, you guys, it's me," Dean said, holding up his hands.

In the lounge room, Sam sat up on his couch-bed, rubbing his eyes. Dean had taken over Clark's room now Lois was gone, and Clark had always been in with Rory.

"And I don't think me and Sam can come if you're going to be breaking into a military base," Dean continued.

"Why not?" Sam asked, walking into the kitchen. Rory looked up at him and unconsciously admired his shirtless body for a moment before snapping herself out of it and blushing.

"Superpowers," she said hastily. "You won't be able to keep up. And we can hardly get onto a military base without them."

"You've taken me along with your superspeed before," Sam pointed out. Clark looked at her accusingly.

Rory glared back at him before saying, "Besides, you two should see what you can dig up from here. Check LuthorCorp records, etc etc, see if they've bought any buildings lately. And one of you could go and see Lionel. Tell him that we sent you and I'm sure you'll get something."

Dean nodded and said, "I'll go, Sam's much better with the techno geek stuff than me."

It was Sam's turn to glare at his brother. He grabbed a nearby notepad and pen, writing something on it as he said, "Rory, this is my number. Call me if you find out where she is, Dean and I have something you don't have."

He ripped off the note and gave it to her. Rory memorised it as she asked, "And what would that be?"

"Guns," Sam replied icily.

* * *

**A/N I know, I know... I'm a truly horrible person. But the thing is that the time I used to use to write is now time I spend at school, and I can't write, so updates will be less frequent. Plus, you know... Tasmania. :o) This story has first priority! And I'm not going to put it on hiatus or stop writing it, I promise. You guys rock!**

**By the way, hope you like the whole Rory-and-Dean conversation. I also hope it clears up a few things; like how Sam really feels. And sorry for being so repetitive. :o)  
**


	44. Gone Part 3

**Gone – Forty-Fourth Chapter**  
**Military Base**  
Rory put her ear to the door as she telekinetically clicked the lock open. _Somebody's in there, _she told Clark.

_Well find out who it is, _Clark tapped the side of his head.

Rory focused her telepathy on the person inside. The thoughts were slightly blurry – probably because Rory hadn't used her mind-reading for a while – but Rory quickly realised it was Lois.

_Safe,_ she told Clark before opening the door.

Lois looked up in surprise as the twins slipped quickly inside.

"Considering your father has a yard full of tanks out there, do you really think it's a good idea to be rifling through his files?" Rory asked playfully as she sauntered over to her friend.

"Didn't seem to slow you guys down," Lois replied, going back to the files. "I gotta say I'm impressed, though, that you could sneak onto a military base undetected. Especially with _him_ slowing you down. What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you," Clark answered innocently. "I think your dad's working with Lex Luthor. I saw one of his cigars in his library."

"I knew it," Lois exulted, grinning. "What do you know? My dad and the king of the trust fund kids."

She put her father's log book on his desk and started going through it as quickly as she could.

"They're trying to cover up something to do with Chloe," Clark told her seriously. "If he finds us in here-"

"I can handle him, Clark," Lois assured him. "Besides, if you think that chopper recital was something, you should have seen the escort I had for prom."

"Wow," Rory said sympathetically, "and I thought my father was overprotective."

Lois smiled sardonically as she said, "I guess when he lost my mom, he kind of cracked, and ever since... well, he's been scared of losing me too."

Clark looked down apologetically and saw a picture of General Lane, a pretty blonde woman who looked a little like Lois, and a little girl who resembled the woman.

Lois glanced over and saw what he was looking at.

"I can actually talk about it, you know," she told him, amused by his sympathy. "She died when I was six."

"I'm sorry," Clark and Rory said simultaneously.

"Don't be," Lois shrugged. "Unless you're the idiot who was driving drunk and crashed into her."

Lois picked up another logbook and handed it to Clark. "Make yourself useful."

Rory leaned over Lois's shoulder, double-checking her logbook.

Clark soon saw something strange. "Nellie Blye?"

Rory frowned as Lois said cheerfully, "I know. Can you believe that after 15 years, my dad is finally getting some action? I'm kinda happy for the old geezer."

"She died nearly 80 years ago," Rory told Lois. Her thoughts quickly jumped to the vengeful spirits Sam had told her of; what did Nellie Blye want?

"But it says in his day calendar that he's been taking R&R with her at least once a week," Lois realised, confused.

"She was one of the first undercover reporters," Rory explained.

"And she was Chloe's hero," Clark said significantly.

Everything suddenly clicked in Rory's mind. Nellie wasn't a spirit, but a codename...

Lois sat at the desk, stunned. She searched for more details on 'Nellie Blye'.

"It says here she's at... 2348 Walnut Street," Lois said, relieved. Her quest was almost over.

She heard a burst of air, and when she looked up, the Wonder Twins were gone.

**

* * *

2348 Walnut Street**  
Rory and Clark supersped onto the front porch of the house. The door was slightly ajar and they could hear pop music playing inside.

They stepped through the door, ready for anything. A desk with an open laptop on it sat close to the door.

Clark looked up and saw a door at the end of the hallway, bouncing on its hinges... almost as though somebody had just gone through it.

Rory, on the other hand, was looking around. "Clark," she caught his attention, pointing to one of the walls, which was covered in a Wall-of-Weird replica.

"Chloe?" Clark yelled, going closer to the wall.

Rory turned away from it, looking at the laptop. A stain of all-too-familiar red on the carpet caught her eye.

She inhaled sharply. Clark turned to look at her and saw the smear too.

His gaze quickly moved to a second smear, and then to a third on a door. He rushed to the door, bursting through it into a scene from a crime show.

Rory followed him. Inside the room were two apparently dead officers, one slumped against the wall and the other hunched over a chair.

Rory gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Clark went to the man over the chair and checked his pulse.

"Nothing," he said, his voice unintentionally harsh. He looked up at Rory and his eyes drifted to the man now standing next to her.

Rory followed his line of sight and focused on the man.

Lex Luthor.

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
"I thought you wanted to go talk to Lionel," Sam said with gritted teeth as Dean began to whistle Metallica for the fifth time.

"Nope," Dean replied, popping the 'p'. "I'm waiting for you to find something. You need to wait here for Rory's call, remember."

"Well, I can't find anything, all right?" Sam responded, agitated.

"Come on, there must be something," Dean complained. "Something LuthorCorp's bought recently. A place she could be hiding out."

"Dean," Sam said, exasperated, "I'm going through properties that LuthorCorp's bought recently, and there's nothing..."

He trailed off as he noticed something in the older records. He leaned forward, double-checking intently.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It says here that LuthorCorp bought an old foundry not long before Lionel was arrested," Sam told Dean absently. "And they isn't being used for anything."

"An abandoned foundry?" Dean questioned quizzically.

"At least it's not an abandoned warehouse. Check it out," Sam ordered him. He quickly read the address of the screen, which Dean repeated back to him before leaving.

**

* * *

Ten minutes later**  
Rory stood on one side of the room, her stillness a contrast to her brother's pacing back and forth. Coincidentally, this pacing kept him in between her and Lex, who was talking furiously on his cell phone.

"How long does it take to locate her?" he asked angrily. There was a pause and he yelled, "Well, do it!"

He hung up the phone and turned to the twins, unable to stop his eyes returning to Rory every few seconds. "I was trying to protect her," he attempted to explain.

"You had a tracking bracelet on her wrist," Clark pointed out in rage. "You couldn't have thought she was that safe."

"I had to take every precaution," Lex replied staunchly.

Clark stopped pacing and walked straight over to Lex, looking him in the eye. "You looked me straight in the eye and told me she was dead."

"Look, sometimes you have to do the right thing no matter what the cost," Lex said steadfastly, staring Clark down.

"Even if that cost is Chloe's life," Clark shot back, fear for his friend making him furious.

"Clark, if it wasn't for me, Chloe would have died in that explosion," Lex revealed.

Rory stood behind Clark, only half-listening to their conversation. Most of her consciousness was concentrating on stretching her mind-reading power to its very limits, searching for Chloe.

"I felt responsible for Chloe, so I had the investigators watching her," Lex said distantly. "They found a detonating device in the safe house. My father hired someone to make sure Chloe never made it to the witness stand."

Lex's voice faded even further into the background as Rory stretched her mind out, further than she'd ever gone before. She touched briefly on Dean's mind – he was driving out to the old foundry.

_Why?_ Rory found herself wondering, distracted. Using her common sense, she connected the dots very quickly – Chloe was out there, or there was a possibility she was there.

Rory opened her eyes, just in time to see Lex get a message on his PDA.

"She's at –" Lex began, not looking at either of the twins.

"-the old foundry," Rory said with him. She supersped out, not waiting for his response.

**

* * *

Foundry**  
Dean pulled out his gun and entered the foundry, almost totally silent. He made sure the gun was pointed wherever he looked and began to move quickly through the massive room.

It was full of vision-obscuring steam and pipes.

He had almost reached one particularly bad spot of steam when he heard footsteps, running towards him.

Dean held the gun straight in front of him, ready to fire.

A blonde girl ran through the steam, glancing over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She turned back and, upon seeing Dean, skidded to a halt.

"Chloe?" he asked harshly.

The blonde asked aggressively, "Why?"

He grabbed her arm, pulling her away and back the way he'd come. She struggled furiously as he explained roughly, "My name is Dean Winchester, I'm a friend of Clark and Rory's."

She stopped struggling then.

Dean kept glancing back at her as they ran; she was very pretty, in small-town kind of way.

Distracted by one of his split-second glances, he didn't see the man until it was too late.

Next thing he knew, there was a hand around his throat. The hand tightened and began to feel somewhat... metallic?

Dean used his failing strength to lift his legs and struck out at his captor. Unfortunately, his efforts seemed futile, and he could feel his breath getting weaker.

He could hear Chloe's gasping breaths next to him and began scrabbling for his spare gun, having dropped the first one when he was grabbed.

He managed to grab a hold of it, but before he could cock it, he was thrown to the side, landing awkwardly on top of Chloe.

**

* * *

Rory**  
Rory burst through the door of the foundry, Clark only a minute or so behind her. She listened for the thoughts of her friends, taking the most direct path to them as soon as she had their location.

She stopped in an instant, taking in the scene before her. A man held Chloe by the throat in one hand and Dean in the same way with his other hand. Both hands appeared to be made of metal.

The man heard her and threw the two to the side, knocking Chloe out. Dean landed on top of her and the man turned to face Rory, revealing himself to be more of a boy than a man.

Rory raised her hands and forced Metal-Boy away from her, throwing him high into the air. She strode towards him as he stood from the debris his impact with several pipes had created.

He turned, morphing his arm into a giant blade of shining metal. Rory lifted her arms, crossing them and creating a shield to protect herself. Sparks flew from the impact and Rory pushed him away once more.

She made a fist and punched him, hard, in the stomach. However, Metal-Boy turned his whole body into the strange metal and she fell through his body, landing next to a vat of red-hot liquid.

Rory rolled over to face her enemy. He stood over her, lifting his blade arm to finish her off.

Rory lifted her hands in self-defence and fire burst from them, engulfing the boy. He screamed once before his whole body deteriorated into thousands of tiny drops of liquid metal.

Rory half-lay on the ground, holding herself up with her arms and panting.

"Holy _crap_," she heard a familiar rough voice say. "That was _awesome_."

She rolled onto her feet and walked back towards where she'd left Dean and Chloe. Clark sped in a second later, glaring at his sister.

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm fine, Clark."

"_I_ wanna be able to do that," Dean said enthusiastically. "I didn't know you could make fi-"

"Shush!" Rory hissed at him as Chloe stirred.

Clark was beside her in an instant. "Chloe? Chloe, are you okay?"

Chloe opened her eyes and saw Clark. She began to laugh, happiness, relief and hysteria fighting for a place in the joyful noise. She sat up and hugged Clark tightly.

"Chloe, I was afraid I'd lost you," Clark said in her ear, grinning hugely.

Clark helped Chloe to her feet and she saw Rory.

Rory was grinning just like Clark. She held her arms out and Chloe hugged her tightly, taking a while to let go just as she had with Clark.

"What are you doing here?" Clark asked Dean, frowning suddenly.

Dean shrugged. "Sam found out LuthorCorp had bought this foundry. I figured it was worth a look."

"Sorry, uh, who are you?" Chloe asked Dean, bemused yet unable to wipe the smile off her face.

Dean held out his hand for her to shake. "Dean Winchester, remember? Tried to save you, failed miserably?"

She nodded, half-laughing as she took his hand and shook it.

"Come on, Clo," Rory said, putting her hand around Chloe's shoulder. "Let's go."

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
Dean walked into the loft, sighing. Smallville was a much stranger place than he'd given it credit – the kind of place where he could almost feel at home, if it wasn't for hunting.

"Dean?"

Dean turned and saw his brother standing at the top of the stairs.

"I saw Jason again," Sam told him, almost timid.

"And?" Dean wasn't in the mood for witty banter or long conversations.

"He'll be here within the next few days," Sam said. "And it looks like he'll be sticking around for a while."

"So, once we run into him, we tell him about Dad, we pack up and we leave," Dean said gruffly.

Sam snorted incredulously. "And how exactly do we do that? 'Oh, hello, Jason, long time no see, eh? By the way, Dad's dead now too, the thing that killed our mother is still out there and we have no way of finding it. Nice to see you, bye now!'"

Dean mulled this over for a minute before saying shortly, "That is perfect, Sammy."

Sam sighed, exasperated. "Dean, look. I know you don't wanna stick around for too long, but I would like to see Jason for more than five seconds, especially seeing as we've come all this way."

"Sammy," Dean had had enough. "I only came out to this place because _you_ wanted to come. And we both know that you didn't want to come because of Jason."

Sam looked at the ground wordlessly.

"Now, look, Sammy," Dean went on. "I'm happy that you like her so much, especially considering A) how awesome she is, B) the fact that she can take care of herself and C) the fact that she can control fire, but you're not going to do anything! So what's the point?"

"The point is I feel guilty, Dean," Sam burst out suddenly. "I mean, did you not see her face when she told us about Luthor? She was scared of what I'd think. Yes, I like her. Much, much more than I should. But the problem is that I think she likes me just as much."

"And you're afraid she'll get hurt?" Dean asked. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Sammy, she's strong and she can take care of herself. So listen. We stick around for Jason, we wait a little while, as soon as I find a hunt we are gone, understood?"

Sam nodded sullenly.

"And then we come back here in between hunts," Dean finished.

Sam's head snapped up to look at his brother. "What?"

"Jason is family," Dean said faux-casually. "We owe it to him to at least keep in touch, right?"

Sam grinned happily.

**

* * *

A/N Hope the whole Sam/Rory being angsty and STUPID isn't annoying anybody too much... but they're going to stick to schedule. I'm writing as quickly as possible, I desperately want to get to the even better parts.**

**See, now that we've gotten to the fourth season, the next major milestone is... *drumroll* the END of the fourth season! Yeah, not hard to guess, but still. Shall be fun.**

**And, GUESS WHAT? One of my friends told me that her second cousin is Miles Millar, as in the creator of Smallville Miles Millar! I know! Awesome! I was insanely excited. :o)**

**I'd just like to say that you guys are seriously the best readers ever. Thank you. :o)**

**PS – Suspended disbelief rocks, people. Over and out.**


	45. Facade

**Facade – Forty-Fifth Chapter  
**Rory came down the stairs, wearing her favourite dark blue jeans, a white off-one shoulder top and a fitted black jacket. It was the first day of her senior year, and she was determined to look good.

Her determination had absolutely nothing to do with a certain, temporary houseguest of course...

"Morning," she called as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey," Sam smiled at her from the table. He was reading that day's copy of the _Smallville Ledger_. "You look good."

"Thank you," Rory smiled back, controlling her blush and heartbeat... somehow. "Seen any more on Jason?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm sure he's in town," he confessed, "with his new girlfriend, but I don't know where."

Sam was lying, of course. He knew perfectly well that Jason's new girlfriend was Lana Lang, and that Jason had taken a coaching job at Smallville High.

He also knew that telling anybody, even a girl keeping the world's biggest secret, could get his brother fired.

And if the delay in finding Jason let him spend more time with said girl, well then, he wasn't complaining.

Sam looked back to the newspaper as Rory made her breakfast. He turned the page and the headline instantly caught his attention:

_Smallville High hires new assistant coach_

Sam sighed, resigned. The picture that went with the article showed Jason, of course. The caption read _Jason Teague, 25 years old, new assistant football coach at Smallville High._

Rory glanced over his shoulder. "Hey," she asked, surprised, "what's Dean doing in the Ledger?"

"That's not Dean," Sam replied. "It's Jason."

Rory leaned in closer, reading the article over his shoulder. Sam could smell her – coconut and vanilla and strawberry – or was that just her shampoo?

"Well, now you know where he is," Rory said, hiding her sadness. Sam hadn't yet had time to tell her that he and Dean were coming back.

"Rory, you coming?" Clark asked from the doorway.

"Yes, Clark," Rory said exaggeratedly. She supersped up the stairs and was back in a moment with a bag over her shoulder. "See ya, Sammy," she said to her friend, hugging him around the shoulders and leaving.

Sammy stared after her for a moment. Dean came in through the door just as Clark started the truck outside.

"Hey," Dean said.

Sam knew he'd find out eventually; and the sooner they left, the sooner they could come back.

"Check it out," he said, tossing the newspaper to his brother.

Dean caught it one-handed and read the article on Jason quickly.

He nodded slowly. "All right, let's head into the school today and say hi."

"Are we telling him straight away?" Sam asked. Every time he talked about anything even connected with leaving, it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Dean shook his head. "Remember what you said about springing it on him? Probably not a good idea. Especially not when he's practically disowned us. I mean," he tapped the picture, "Teague? I don't recall that being the name on my birth certificate."

Sam nodded his assent. "So we drop by, tell him we're in town, have a couple minutes of awkward conversation, take off, see him again another day?"

Dean shrugged. "Sounds all right. But I did find something that might be a hunt."

Sam sighed. "We'd better be quick then."

**

* * *

Smallville High**  
Sam and Dean walked into the school's reception. A middle-aged woman at the desk smiled at them and asked kindly, "Can I help you?"

"Ah, yeah," Dean said, walking over to the desk. "We were hoping to have a quick talk with our brother?"

"Is he a student at the school, Mr. Teague?" she asked him.

"What?" Dean was puzzled. "Oh, sorry, no, Mr. Teague is our brother. Identical twins," he explained.

The woman made an understanding noise and, rummaging through her desk drawers, pulled out a map.

"Your brother should be right about here," she said, pointing to a room on the map. "Go this way..." she traced a path through the halls. "There you go."

"Thank you," Sam smiled at her. The brothers left the reception, following her directions.

"We still don't know what to say to him," Sam pointed out, agitated.

"Improvise, Sammy," Dean clapped him on the back. "It's what we're best at."

A minute later, they reached a door labelled 'Coach's Office'.

"All righty then," Dean shook himself a little. "Let's do this thing."

He opened the door and stepped inside. Sam followed him, shutting the door behind himself.

The room was empty.

"Okay, guess he's not here yet," Sam stated the obvious.

Dean went over to an armchair and sat down in it, relaxing.

"So now we just wait," Sam said disbelievingly.

"Patience is a virtue, Sammy," Dean replied.

Sam started to pace the room. He stopped just behind the door to turn around and the door suddenly opened, almost hitting him.

A girl he recognised from dreams and visions stepped through the door, a folded up note in her hand. She saw Dean and her face lit up with a beautiful smile.

"Hey," she said quietly, shutting the door and walking over to him. She didn't see Sam.

Dean looked a little confused and replied, "Hi."

What she did next confused him much more, however.

Lana Lang leant over Dean and kissed him full on the mouth.

Dean shot out of the chair, pushing Lana off him a little but keeping hold of her shoulders. "Whoa there," he said, extremely confused. "What are you doing?"

Lana looked just as confused. "Are you okay, Jason?"

Dean looked over at Sam and asked him, "Who is she?"

Lana followed his gaze to see Sam and her mouth opened involuntarily.

"Uhm..." Sam stalled. "You know, the only thing that could make this any worse..."

The door opened once again and a man, identical to Dean, stepped inside.

"...would be that," Sam finished with a sigh.

Lana looked from the man holding onto her shoulders to the man who had just come through the door. "What the hell is going on here?" she asked angrily.

Jason shut the door behind him and looked at Sam. He looked at Dean, then back at Sam once again, and realised who they were.

"Jason," Dean said faux-cheerfully, a grin on his face. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Dean," Jason replied in the same sarcastic tone. He glanced at Sam and nodded. "Sam."

Lana looked at the three brothers in turn. "What?"

Dean let go of her shoulders and stepped back. Jason walked over to her and, standing close by, said, "Lana, these are my brothers, Sam and Dean."

"I thought you were an only child," Lana said, even more confused.

"He doesn't talk about us much," Sam said awkwardly.

"What are you two doing here?" Jason asked matter-of-factly.

"Visiting an old friend," Sam replied. "We saw the article on you in the paper, thought we'd catch up."

Jason glanced at Lana and said, "Look, now's not the greatest time. How about you swing by here, around half past five this afternoon, after practice?"

Sam nodded. Dean crossed his arms and said nothing.

"Great," Dean replied stoically. "See ya, Jase."

He went to the door, opened it for Sam and, after a last lingering stare at his twin, left the room.

Lana looked up at Jason. "What was that about?"

Jason sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "It's a long, complicated story."

"No it's not," Lana realised, "you just don't want to tell me."

Jason looked away from her.

"Whatever happened, I'll understand," Lana told him sincerely.

"I-" Before Jason could say anymore, there was a knock on the door.

Lana jumped away from him, trying to look casual. Clark entered the office and said, almost as a question, "Coach Teague?"

Lana looked at Jason quizzically.

"I'm Clark Kent," Clark introduced himself, holding out his hand for Jason to shake and hiding his surprise at Jason's appearance well.

"Hi," Jason said with a smile.

Clark noticed Lana for the first time, and asked in surprise, "Lana. What are you doing here?"

Lana stammered for a moment before Jason said smoothly, "The principal asked this young lady to give me the grand tour."

Lana held back her laughter with difficulty as Clark looked back at Jason.

"It's good to meet you, Clark," Jason said sincerely.

"You know, they didn't tell me you were Jason Teague," Clark said admiringly, talking more about Sam and Dean than the school. He turned to Lana and told her, "This guy threw a passing record his freshman year at Metropolis University. He could've gone pro."

"Yeah, well, now I'm just a transfer to Central Kansas A&M," Jason said, sounding rather sheepish. "It's amazing how quickly you fall off a recruiter's list when you tear your rotator cuff."

"Well, then, uh, I guess we're lucky to have you here, Coach," Lana said, almost laughing. Clark looked at her strangely.

"Assistant coach... Miss Lang," Jason responded. The pair shared a quiet look, which Clark missed. He was trying to match up the two Jasons; the one he had heard of from Sam and Dean, and the one that he had hero-worshipped for the last year.

"Quigley's still gonna be calling the plays for you guys," Jason said, drawing Clark's attention back to the present.

"Actually, I'm not on the team," Clark told him. He glanced at Lana for a second before saying, "I was hoping I could try out."

Jason looked him up and down, considering. "You look big enough. Sure," he agreed.

Clark felt Lana looking at him, surprise all over her face. This time, however, he refused to look back at her.

_We just keep going up and down, and back and forth, like a yo-yo on crack,_ he told himself. _This time, I should just stay away._

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
Rory slammed the door of the truck shut and, rearranging the bag on her shoulder, walked towards the house.

"Hey," Sam called from the barn.

She turned to see him, a smile rising on her face. He grinned back at her.

"Hey," she called back, jogging over to him. "Did you talk to Jason?"

Sam nodded. "We were interrupted by your friend Lana, though. We're going back to talk to him properly in about-" he checked his watch, "-half an hour."

"And here I was hoping I could get a fully qualified college dropout to tutor me," Rory replied with a smile.

Sam tried to suppress the rush of memories at her words. "Dean and I are leaving tomorrow," he confessed in a rush.

Rory's eyes widened and she couldn't stop the disappointment showing clearly on her face.

"But we also agreed to come back and visit, in between hunts," Sam explained hurriedly, realising he hadn't actually told her about that.

"Visit who?" Rory asked, knowing the answer but desperate to stop herself slipping and showing how deeply obsessed she really was.

Sam stared at her for a second, before replying quickly, "Jason."

Rory nodded and smiled. "Okay."

She turned and walked towards the house. Sam jogged to catch up with her, asking in disbelief, "That's it? You're not..."

"Angry?" Rory asked, turning once again to face him. "You're coming back, right? And you're helping people. I've lived my whole life being restricted by my family because I'm breakable. I wouldn't want you to be held back by me, just because I'm harder to hurt than you are."

"Your family thinks you're breakable?" Sam questioned, making a face.

"Clark does, and Dad does, and Mom would rather I stayed out of trouble altogether," she laughed. "But they do get scared for me. I'm constantly in the hospital because of various meteor-infected people."

"At least you're not constantly avoiding hospitals because of various mythological creatures," Sam said quietly.

"I am gonna miss you, though," Rory consoled him, still smiling.

"I'm gonna miss you too," Sam replied, smiling down at her.

"Funny how it doesn't seem to go away, even after a year of nothing," Rory mused. "I've got work to do, so I'll talk to you when you get back."

Sam nodded and hugged her one-armed. She hugged back with her free arm, then left for the house.

Sam allowed himself a second to stare after her forlornly like some kid in a teenage soap opera, then went back into the barn to get Dean.

**

* * *

Smallville High**  
Sam waited impatiently in the school's foyer. Dean finally came through the doors, grinning.

"Where the hell were you?" Sam asked edgily. "We're already late."

"So?" was Dean's only response.

The two brothers walked once again through the school hallways. Sam fidgeted nervously the whole way, while Dean was his usual cocky, grinning self.

They stopped outside the coach's office.

"Dude," Dean finally spoke, turning to Sam. "Stop twitching already, you're making me feel nervous."

Sam scowled and knocked on the door. Dean opened it without waiting for an invitation.

Sam rolled his eyes and followed Dean inside. Jason sat at the desk, twiddling his thumbs.

"Jason," Dean nodded.

Jason looked up and nodded back. "Dean, Sam."

"Hi," Sam said uncomfortably.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked bluntly. "And don't feed me that crap about an old friend, please."

"Actually, we really are visiting an old friend," Sam defended himself. "But we heard you were in town, so we thought we'd stop by."

"And that's it?" Jason questioned sullenly. "Ten years ago, I run away from all that hunting crap. And now you two decide to drag it back into my perfectly good life for no reason?"

"Dad's dead," Dean said flatly.

There was silence for several long seconds.

"How?" Jason asked monotonously, almost like he didn't believe it.

"Don't know," Sam answered quietly. "We think it had something to do with the thing that killed Mom."

Jason took a step backwards, holding his hands up. "No," he said sternly. "It always comes back to that with you two, doesn't it? The thing that killed Mom. Well, you two might be obsessed-"

"It killed my girlfriend Jessica too," Sam said brusquely. "It's a demon, with yellow eyes. The only thing that can kill it is a supernatural gun, made by a guy called Samuel Colt. The gun is called the Colt. It disappeared with Dad."

"So what, you want me to help you out?" Jason asked caustically. "I travelled halfway across the world to be with the girl I love; I'm not giving her up for some stupid vengeance quest."

"We're not asking you to," Dean said abruptly. "We just thought you might want to know. That's all. That's why we came here. Because you're our brother, whatever you call yourself nowadays, and that's what really counts."

Jason looked at his twin grudgingly.

"Besides," Dean added, his cocky grin back in place, "I missed not having to look in mirrors to see how wonderful I truly am."

Jason sighed and shook his head. "And listen, about Lana..."

"Your secret is safe with us," Sam cut in, a small smile on his face.

"Besides, Sammy's hardly one to lay the blame, eh?" Dean punched his brother playfully on the arm.

Jason ignored Dean. "So who's your old friend?"

"Rory Kent," Sam said. "Clark Kent's sister, Lana's friend."

"Hang on," Jason said, startled. "You actually have an old friend?"

Sam laughed a little. "Yes."

There was silence for a moment as all three brothers tried to think of something else to say.

"So what are you two gonna do now?" Jason asked suddenly.

"Hunt, of course," Dean replied immediately. "People need us out there."

"Look, man, if you're trying to blackmail me into joining your crusade again..." Jason began warningly.

"I think we'll do just fine without you," Sam told him quickly. "Anyway, we should probably go. We'll see you when we come back."

Jason nodded and held out his hand. Sam shook it awkwardly, then Dean did the same thing.

"See ya," Dean grinned.

"Bye," Jason muttered.

Sam and Dean left and Jason sank into the chair in the corner, thinking wearily, _Maybe I wouldn't have followed Lana here if I'd known about them._

**

* * *

Later that night**  
Rory sat in her room, reading her chemistry textbook. _Thank god for photographic memory,_ she thought happily.

A noise outside her window made her stand and go to it, peering out.

Sam and Dean stood behind the Impala. The trunk was open, and they were putting bags into it lightly. They had a short, quiet argument; then they both started to push the car, trying not to make any noise.

Rory stifled a laugh, then wondered why they were leaving... so late at night... without saying goodbye...

She stood, ignoring the fact that she was only wearing her pyjamas, and supersped downstairs, past the brothers, and out to the gate. She climbed onto it and sat there.

She focused on the ground in front of, moving the earth out of the way to create a ditch across the driveway. Satisfied, she crossed her arms and waited.

The Impala was only about halfway towards her when Dean looked over it and saw her. He muttered something she couldn't quite make out and Sam looked up too.

He immediately looked guilty and Rory mock-glared at him.

Sam walked around the car and started jogging out to her. He saw the ditch just in time and stopped.

"What's this?" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," Rory retorted. "Sneaking out? Without saying goodbye? I'm disappointed."

"I left you a note," Sam replied. "Would you mind-"

"I'm not filling in the ditch until you give me a proper goodbye," Rory said firmly.

Sam half-smiled and pointed out, "I can hardly do that from this side of the ditch."

Rory grinned and focused on him. Suddenly, he lifted off the ground, flew over the ditch, and fell to the ground in a heap.

She jumped down from the gate as he got to his feet. "Happy?" she asked mischievously.

He shook his head and hugged her, getting dirt all over her light-coloured pyjamas. "I'll see you in about a week, maybe less," he murmured in her ear. "I didn't really think there was a point in saying goodbye."

"There's always a point in saying goodbye," she murmured back. "This could be the time you don't come back. What then?"

Sam pulled away and shook his head. "Dean and I have been doing this a while. I've almost died at least five times, but I'm still here, because we _always_ find a way out of it. You don't have to worry."

"Of course I do," she smiled. "You don't have built in protection like I do."

"I'll be fine," he promised. "Less than a week and I'll be back to see you."

Rory ignored that he'd said he was coming back to see Jason, not her and said, "I'd also like to say goodbye to Dean, if I could."

"Fill in the ditch..." Sam trailed off.

Rory looked around him and focused once again on the earth. The ditch slowly disappeared as dirt refilled it and she walked around Sam.

He followed her all the way back to the Impala, where she was hugging Dean. "Next time he tries to sneak off without me knowing," she said, pulling away, "you get to stop him. Okay?"

"Okay," Dean grinned. "Does that mean you give me permission to use force?"

"You needed permission?" Rory grinned back.

He laughed and Sam smiled grudgingly.

They all said one last goodbye, and the brothers told Rory to thank Martha and Jonathan for everything they did.

Then, Sam and Dean got into the car, and drove away.

Rory stood in the driveway and watched them go, thinking that nothing had changed her so much that year – dating Lex, watching Adam die, being sucked into a wall, flying – as the arrival of two supernatural hunters in her hometown.

* * *

**A/N Okay, so this is the part where I apologise for being gone so long, you guys ignore this message, and we all live happily ever after! Yeah, I'm sorry... senior is much harder than I thought it would be, and I didn't realise so much time had passed since I last updated.  
You guys are so incredibly amazing for sticking with me all this time. I know I say that every chapter, but it's true! Thank you!**

**By the way, if anybody thinks any of the characters are OOC, or there's something I could do better, or anything, tell me! I love constructive criticism. Thanks again!  
**


	46. Run

**So, first off, I'd just like to say that I didn't actually realise it had been seven months since I last updated. Extremely sorry about that. Really. You have no idea. But I'm back in the hang of writing this again, so expect less sporadic updates. You're all beautiful. :o)**

**

* * *

Run – Forty-Sixth Chapter  
**Rory finished her coffee and followed Martha outside patiently as her mother said quickly, "Don't forget to hang out that washing I put on, and if you could do some of the cleaning that would be great, and I think your father said something about-"

"- a broken fencepost in the eastern paddock," Rory interrupted. Smiling, she reassured her, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll get it all done."

Martha smiled distractedly at her. "Of course, Rory," she said with relief. "Thank you."

Rory heard a noise that sounded distinctly like the truck and looked up, startled. "I thought Clark and Dad were going to be out all day," she said, staring off into the distance.

"They were," Martha said, surprised. "Why?"

Her question was answered when she, too, heard the truck coming up the driveway and turned around. It pulled up nearby and Clark and Jonathan got out, walking towards them.

"Aren't you two supposed to be at the game?" Martha asked, puzzled.

"Well," Jonathan hedged, "the tickets to the game were in my wallet."

"Which was stolen," Clark concluded briskly. "Some kid swiped it outside the medical building."

Martha touched Jonathan's shoulder, anxiously saying, "Oh, my God, you were robbed? Are you all right? Did he have a gun?"

"Yes, yes, and no, he had a very fast pair of sneakers," Jonathan answered all three questions. "I'm just gonna call the credit card company and report it stolen."

"Dad, wait," Clark stopped him before he could take more than a few steps. "This kid, he was as fast as I am."

"Really?" Rory asked, shocked. "We should definitely try to find out who he is."

Clark nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I thought maybe we could talk to Chloe, see if she can track down where he's been using your card."

Rory nodded and turned back to Jonathan, who looked hesitant. "Come on, Dad," she reasoned, "if we don't find anything by the end of the day, make the call. Besides," she added cheekily, "when have we ever failed to save the day?"

Jonathan grinned and shook his head good-naturedly. "All right, but I want you to be careful," he warned them. "We don't know anything about this kid."

Rory nodded and Clark said determinedly, "That's why we have to find out who he is."

Clark supersped away and Rory kissed her mother's cheek before following him.

* * *

Clark activated his superhearing and listened to the sounds inside the apartment he and Rory stood outside. _Shower's running,_ he told her. _Go for it._

Rory put her hand on the door and, closing her eyes, slid the door chain across with her telekinesis. She unlocked the deadbolt also and turned the knob. The door slid open smoothly without a sound, and Rory smiled at Clark.

They stepped inside, being careful not to make a sound. Rory noted that the bathroom door was open a little, but loud music was playing and steam was billowing out of the gap. She crept past the bathroom and entered the living area of the hotel room.

Judging by the furniture, it was a pretty classy place. However, the tasteful decor was somewhat diminished by the snack food and comic books lying around. Several still-folded shirts lay on the couch, and on the nightstand next to the bed there were several shoeboxes with new shoes nearby.

Clark walked past her to the bed, picking up a backpack with a lightning bolt on it. He opened it and emptied it onto the bed. Rory came up beside him and helped him sort through the many wallets and watches.

None of them looked anything like Jonathan's, however, and while Clark continued to look, Rory noticed a stack of what looked like ID cards, bound together with a rubber band.

Rory picked it up and, removing the band, began looking through them. Each one was from a different place – New York, California, Kansas – and each one had a different name on it. The only similarity was the picture.

She showed one to Clark, and he said mentally, _That's him._

Rory nodded and put them down. Just as she pulled her hand back, a voice behind them said indignantly, "Dude."

The twins turned quickly to see the boy from the photos, his hair still wet and wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

"You lost?" he asked challengingly. "You know, I guess you must be, because this is my room."

"Technically it's our dad's since you used his credit card to pay for it," Rory countered unashamedly.

"I didn't take anything from anybody," the kid said, straight-faced.

"You can save the innocent act," Clark said scornfully. "We had a friend trace all the charges you're trying to stick on him after you stole his wallet."

The kid's eyes glanced down at the bed, seeing all of his stuff spread over it, and became irate. "And you went through my backpack," he said furiously. "Man, that's an invasion of privacy, messing with my stuff."

Clark took offense at that. "Your stuff?" he asked incredulously. "You _stole_ all of this."

There was a sudden burst of air and the kid was gone. Rory whirled around, looking for him, and saw him standing behind them, fully clothed with dry hair.

"Yeah?" he said boisterously. "Prove it."

"I saw you save my dad from that truck this morning," Clark told him.

He looked taken aback. "Man, nobody sees me when I'm doing my thing."

"Maybe you're not the only one who can move like that," Rory said, snatching up the ID cards and reading names from them, "Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, whatever your real name is."

"It's Bart," he said smugly. "Not that it matters, because I'll be a thousand miles away before you can even blink."

"Well, I don't know about that," Rory smirked.

"We can blink pretty fast," Clark said complacently.

Bart's eyes flicked between them. "Who are you guys, anyway?" he asked.

Clark didn't answer his question, instead saying, "We're gonna get Dad's wallet, and then we're all going to sit down and have a nice, long talk."

There was another burst of air and all of the things on the bed were gone, along with the backpack. Rory turned once again and saw Bart, wearing the backpack, standing on the other side of the coffee table. He held the ID cards in his hand.

"Sorry, dudes," he said coldly. "I'm not big on the chit-chat. Smell ya later."

Rory jumped into superspeed a split-second before Bart did, but he was faster than she was and beat her to the door.

They sped out of the building and onto the street. Rory knew that Clark was right behind her, but was too busy concentrating on building up as much speed as possible to talk to him.

They sped through a park, towards a lake, and Rory stretched out her hand, trying to grab him. She put in a short burst and her fingers brushed over his jacket just as he made a giant leap, towards the lake. He landed on top of the water and continued running over it.

Shocked, Rory stopped and watched in awe as a red blur ran away at blinding speed. Clark stood next to her, the same expression on his face.

Rory broke the silence with a single question. "Do you think we can do that?"

* * *

Clark and Rory supersped inside and saw Jonathan setting the dining table.

"Hey, Dad," Rory said, bounding forward, "we found the kid who stole your wallet, but we lost him down at the docks."

"He just took off across the water," Clark said incredulously. "I knew he was fast, but that fast? I-"

"Uh..." Jonathan interrupted, nodding his head in their direction but looking past them.

They turned around and saw Bart, sitting at the kitchen table with a plate full of food in front of him and a glass of milk.

"Hey, guys," he said cheerfully. He took a drink of milk and asked innocently, "What took you so long?"

Rory looked at Clark despairingly; he just raised his eyebrows at her.

* * *

"Dude, I didn't think anybody could move like that except me!" Bart exclaimed as they entered the barn. "Because, hey, I'm the fastest man alive, right?"

Rory just shook her head and Bart finished, "Yeah."

He gave Clark a friendly slap on the back. Rory could feel the annoyance rolling off her brother, but apparently Bart was impervious, seeing as he just kept talking.

"You were right on my butt, man! Although I gotta say, Rory was a lot faster than you, Clark," he said honestly. "You know, I've always wondered if there was anybody else out there like me, and it turns out to be you guys, Jimmy and Jane Crack Corn fresh from the farm."

Clark finally stopped at the bottom of the stairs to the loft. "What kind of story did you spin to con Dad out of a free meal and a bed on the couch?" he asked coldly.

"No story, Clark, just the truth," Bart said openly.

"And what's that?" Clark asked suspiciously.

"All right," Bart sighed. "Well, a couple of years ago, there was like this accident, right? There was this huge flash of light, and my body went into overdrive."

"And this happened in Smallville," Rory assumed.

"No," Bart said, surprised. "Man, this is my first time here, and – no offense – hopefully my last."

Rory and Clark looked at each, taken aback. Rory started walking up the stairs backwards, the boys following her.

"We've never met anyone with powers like yours that wasn't from around here," Rory told Bart.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should get out more," Bart grinned. "So how'd you get so fast? An accident, or..."

"We were kinda born this way," Clark said cryptically. Changing subjects quickly, he asked, "Why are you living on the streets, Bart? What happened to your parents?"

Bart shrugged and said humourlessly, "Their son got zapped into a human lightning bolt. That's what happened. I mean, they made this big deal that everything was gonna be okay and that..."

Rory glanced at Clark before looking down, trying not to show her pity on her face. Bart was a tough kid; he didn't want or need her sympathy.

"I don't know, man," Bart went on tiredly, "you should've seen the way they looked at me, you know? I could tell that nothing was gonna be the same."

"So you ran away?" Clark assumed.

"I..." Bart seemed lost for words as he walked up the final set of stairs to the loft. "I just didn't fit in. But, man, I guess you don't have that problem." He waved a hand at the loft.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Rory contradicted him, following him into the loft.

"We ran away once, too," Clark added.

"Why'd you come back, then?" Bart laughed. "Mow the lawn? Milk the cows? Dude, you guys should be out there with me, tearing it up."

"You mean stealing everything in sight," Clark corrected disapprovingly.

"It's not like I ever really hurt anybody," Bart pointed out, taking a seat on the couch. "I mean, I usually just swipe a little bling from the stiff upper crust whenever I need some cash. I'm what you'd call a have-not, Clark. I take from the haves."

"Like my dad?" Clark asked belligerently, trying to convince Bart that what he did was wrong.

"Oh Clark," Rory sighed, shaking her head. "I seem to remember somebody who stole something _very _expensive from a _very_ rich man."

"That was to help a friend," Clark said defensively.

Bart rolled his eyes. "Look, man, don't even sweat it, okay?" Bart brushed him off. "They don't charge you if your card's stolen."

"Oh, and that makes it all right," Clark said, frustrated beyond belief. Rory shook her head, a small smile playing over her face.

Bart stood suddenly, looking aggravated. "Look, man, my friends down in Suicide Slums, they shortchanged me," he said heatedly. "So I had to boost your dad's card in order to get a room. I don't like spending the night on the streets, okay? Stuff happens there."

Rory and Clark glanced at each other, worried, as Bart explained with a mumble, "When I'm asleep, I'm just as slow as everybody else."

Clark looked concerned and Rory looked down, feeling her stomach drop away as she tried not to think of what had happened to Bart. For a moment, she thought of Sam and Dean, lying in a dirty old motel room, fast asleep, and the dangers they fought routinely creeping closer and closer...

She pushed the thoughts away and forced herself to return to the here and now, breathing deeply to calm her heart down and listened to what was happening.

"I can always take care of myself, you know," Bart said haughtily.

"Yeah, you've done a great job so far," Clark said sarcastically. Rory rolled her eyes again at the testosterone soaking the atmosphere.

Bart's face darkened, and Rory readied herself to break them up. But then he laughed and said dismissively, "You know what, man? Enough about poor little street urchin, all right? Let's take a closer look at the mysterious Kent twins."

Bart superspeed around the room and returned to his original spot, holding several items. He held up a book and said in mock despair, "One or both of you likes to study Native American mythology." He dropped the book and held up two notebooks.

"Clark seems to have scrawled the name 'Lana' all over his notebooks, while Rory's are a little more varied-" he flipped it open, showing numerous (very bad) scribbling and the name 'Sam' written several times.

He dropped both notebooks as Rory blushed, and held up a red-and-gold pompom. "Rory does, or used to cheerlead," he said, glancing over her appreciatively, "and _somebody_ has one of the most boring hobby known to man. Rock collecting."

Rory snickered and said dismissively, "We don't collect roc-"

Bart opened a small lead box, revealing a chunk of kryptonite. Rory gasped as the pain hit her like a physical force and she staggered away, bumping into Clark.

"Dude, are you okay?" Bart asked, sounding concerned. Rory's vision blurred for a long moment before returning.

"Put that away," Clark gasped. "We're allergic."

Bart shut the box and Rory leant on Clark, catching her breath as the pain drained slowly from her body.

"Man, I've heard of people sneezing around dogs and cats and stuff," Bart said, shaking his head, "but never getting all weak in the knees over a rock."

"It's a long story," Clark replied carefully.

"Which is one I am sure I would love to hear..." Bart said, mock derision in his tone, as he rolled up his sleeves, "after we get back."

"Get back from where?" Clark asked, suspicious.

"Anywhere we want," Bart tempted. "I mean, dude, we are two superpowered studs here!"

Rory coughed pointedly and Bart tipped her a wink, adding, "And I don't think I need to say anything further about _you_, sweetheart."

Rory grinned and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Why else did you think I came here to Smellyville looking for you?" Bart said, enjoying himself immensely. "Let's go crank it up, go have some fun!"

Clark tried to hide his smile but didn't quite succeed.

"You ever seen Florida?" Bart said coaxingly. With a grin on his face, he supersped out of the loft.

Clark and Rory looked at each other. Clark shook his head in disbelief, while Rory's grin only grew wider. The smile on Clark's face grew into a grin as he supersped after Bart, with Rory in hot pursuit.

**

* * *

Later that night  
**Tonight was the Grand Re-Opening of Smallville's favourite coffee shop, the Talon. It seemed like most of the town was squeezed into the small room, talking, laughing and drinking great coffee. Nobody noticed when three more people joined them, even if their conversation did sound a bit weird.

"Dude, that girl in the black bikini was totally checking you out," Bart said positively as Rory giggled and Clark rolled his eyes.

"No, she wasn't," Clark denied, blushing a little.

"Look, the girl was eyeing you like you were a sno-cone, dude," Bart said matter-of-factly.

"He's right, you know," Rory added. "You should've got her number."

"I can't just walk up to a girl on the beach and get her phone number," Clark said, sounding scandalised.

"Yeah, well, lucky for you…" Rory said, grinning uncontrollably.

"I can," Bart finished cheerfully, slapping a piece of paper against Clark's chest. "She says to call you next time you're in Miami," he added flirtily, grinning just as hard as Rory.

Clark shushed him furiously, looking around to check if anybody was listening to them. They weren't. "I can't just run back down to Miami!" he hissed at Bart.

"Why not?" Bart asked bluntly, not bothering to lower his voice as Clark had.

Clark glanced around once again. "Because it's-"

"Too much fun?" Rory interrupted playfully. "Come on, Clark, nobody's gonna die from it."

Bart nodded solemnly before suddenly disappearing. Clark and Rory, used to this after spending several hours with him, simply turned around. As always, there he was – only this time, he'd taken a cookie from the display and had already eaten a large chunk of it.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked him, abruptly turning serious.  
_  
_"I'm eating a cookie," he said observantly, around a mouthful of said cookie. "I'm starving."

Rory grabbed it out of his hand, scowling, as Clark said disapprovingly, "You can't just take whatever you want here. Our mom runs the place."

Rory tossed it onto the bench as Bart said, glaring at them, "Look, guys." He gestured to the line of people waiting to be served. "There's a line," he said, once again displaying a talent in stating the obvious. "I don't do lines."

"What's up, K1 and K2?" asked a familiar voice with a laughing tone. Rory turned and smiled instantly when she saw Chloe standing there. "I thought you'd still be in  
Metropolis playing detective," she joked, flashing them a smile.

"We thought we'd leave it up to the authorities," Clark replied, directing his answer at Bart.

"Never would've caught him anyway," Bart shot back.

Chloe glanced at Bart, then looked at Rory and raised her eyebrows.

"Chloe, this is our friend Bart," Rory introduced them. "He's from…"

"The future," Bart interrupted.

Playing along, Chloe said, pretending to be intrigued, "Really?"

"Yeah," Bart confirmed. Stepping towards her, he said charmingly, "I ran all the way back in time to tell you we're still in love a hundred years from now."

Chloe let out a delighted laugh, and Rory said, grinning once again, "Well, that certainly was… original."

Clark, on the other hand, said warningly, "Bart…"

Bart ignored both of them, instead asking Chloe, "What's your favourite kind of flower, Chloe?"

"Uh, tulips," Chloe said, surprised at the change in subject.

She grinned at Clark, and Bart disappeared. Rory automatically turned around and frowned when she couldn't find the boy – his clothing was hardly inconspicuous.

When she turned back, however, he was there once again, offering Chloe a lovely orange tulip.

Chloe was looking at him in astonishment. "How did you do that?" she asked, truly stunned.

"Magic," he said with a charismatic smile, giving her the flower.

"Wow," Chloe said, staring at the flower. She looked back up at Bart and smiled again.

"You want to see some more?" Bart offered temptingly.

Someone behind them called out, "Clark, Rory. Over here."

Rory recognised her mother's voice instantly, but before she left the drama unfolding before her, she gave Chloe a meaningful look, the kind that said try-not-to-get-in-over-your-head. Chloe just rolled her eyes in return.

As she walked towards her mother, she just heard Clark tell Bart to "knock it off" before he followed her.

She didn't laugh, though, until she heard him stuffing the piece of paper with the girl in the black bikini's number on it into his shirt pocket.

Martha just smiled, used to their odd behaviour, and said, "Your dad called." Looking past them at Bart, she asked, "Is that the boy who mugged him?"  
**  
**"Yeah," Clark confirmed. "His name's Bart Allen."

"Why is he here?" Martha asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

"I think he's lonely," Rory said, trying to pluck her mother's heartstrings, "wants to be our friend."

"Good," she said firmly. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him."

"_I_'m trying," Clark joked, laughing when Rory hit him in the arm.

Martha smiled at them and, remembering something, said suddenly, "Oh, um, Lex is looking for you, sweetheart. He asked if you'd stop by the mansion. He said it's important."

Clark glanced at Rory, who had become absorbed in her shoes and no longer seemed to be paying attention. "Both of us?" he asked.

"He didn't specify," Martha replied, watching Rory's face too.

Clark hesitated before asking her mentally, _Do you want to come?_

Rory looked at him. _No, _she answered finally. _I don't think I do._

Clark nodded. _You don't have to talk to him ever, if that's what you want,_ he said. _I can tell him that you don't want to see him anymore._

Rory shook her head. _It's a small town, Clark, _she said. _And I can take it. Just – _she hesitated, and he knew she was thinking of Sam. _Just not right now, _she finished.

Clark nodded once again and said, this time aloud, "Can you take care of Bart?"

Rory looked over at where they'd left him with Chloe and couldn't see him. She searched the crowded room in an instant and found them sitting at a table, talking cheerfully.

"I don't think he'll notice we're gone," she said playfully. "Besides, I, uh, I've got some homework I should really be doing."

"All right," Clark said, not believing her for a moment. "I'll, uh, call you when I'm done at Lex's."

Rory nodded and they both left, waving to Martha as they went.

**

* * *

Rory**  
**Kent Farm**  
Rory punched in the numbers and listened to the phone ring, several times, in her ear. It went to voicemail, just as she'd thought it would, and she sighed as she listened to the message.

When the beep came, she didn't hang up, as she had the last three times. Instead, she said, faux-cheerfully, "Hey, uh, I was just calling to check in on you. You know," she laughed nervously, "make sure you're still alive, and all that."

She hesitated for a moment, before adding in a rush, "Oh, this is Rory, by the way-"

The phone clicked and a voice said, sounding out of breath, "Hey Rory!"

Relief washed through her and she almost sighed, "Hi."

"Sorry," he said. "Dean was sleeping on my phone."

"Oh," she said eloquently. "So you haven't found anything just yet?"

"Actually, we think we've found signs of a vampire nest somewhere around here," he said casually. "We just don't know where it is yet-"

"Did you just say _vampires_?" she interrupted.

"Yeah," he said. "It's okay, though, they're fairly easy to kill – just have to cut off their heads and they're done for."

"You told me vampires weren't real!" she said accusatorily.

There was a slight pause, then he said, surprised, "When did I say that?"

"When we first met!"

More silence.

"You were telling me about supernatural things, and I asked about vampires, and you said, in this really patronising tone, _There's no such thing as _vampires," she mimicked.

"Oh," he said, remembering. "That was before we found out about them."

Rory slid off her bed and hunched down next to her bed. "And cutting their heads off is the only thing that kills them?" she whispered.

"Rory," Sam said disbelievingly, "there are no vampires in Smallville. Dean and I would've seen the signs."

"And what are the signs?"

"Rory," he sighed.

"Vampires are my biggest fear, okay?" she whined furiously. "I _hate _vampires."

"Even when you thought they weren't real?"

"Yes! And they _are _real, and they could eat me in seconds! So how can I kill them?" she asked frantically.

Sam laughed and said, "Well, I suppose, you being you, you could _probably_ just burn them to death… I mean, if you cremate somebody pre-death, there's not much of a chance of them coming back."

She sighed. "Okay then," she said, standing up and climbing back onto the bed. "I feel better now."

He couldn't stop smiling, and, in fact, hadn't been able to since he'd answered the phone. "So how are you?" he asked.

"Good," she said, smiling herself. "We met this kid called Bart. He runs faster than I do."

"Really?" Sam asked, shocked. "Wow."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But he does have a tendency to, ah, steal things he really shouldn't."

"Dean and I have a tendency to do that too, you know," he pointed out, lying back on the bed.

"Hmm." She took a moment to consider this new realisation. "This is true."

"How's Clark?" he asked.

"Good, good," she said absently. "He's talking to Lex at the moment."

"Why didn't you go?" he asked, truly curious.

"I needed to check you hadn't been devoured by werewolves or something," she teased.

"Werewolves are actually quite rare, these days," he said, falling into scholar mode. "We haven't seen one since we were kids."

She laughed and said, "God, I love how weird my life is."

He laughed too and they enjoyed a moment of companionable silence.

"How are things back in Smallville?" he asked.

"Good," she said. "Everything's normal."

"Normal, or Smallville-normal?" he joked.

She laughed again, feeling the worry that usually sat in the pit of her stomach slowly leech out of her. "Smallville-normal," she replied, "what with Bart's arrival and all."

"It's not every day you meet a kid who can run faster than a bullet," he pointed out solemnly.

She smiled, but inside her, worry had returned at the word 'kid'. "No, it's not," she agreed.

_Done now, Rors,_ said the voice in her head. His tone became suddenly irritated as he said, _Change of plans; Bart's here. I'll meet ya back home._

_Okay,_ she replied. "I'm sorry," she told Sam. "I gotta go, I've got work to do."

"That's okay," Sam replied, still smiling. "I'll talk to you another time."

"Okay," she said, unable to control her smile, despite the worry. "Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, thinking about how incredibly tangled her love life had gotten in the past year.

Before she could get too depressed about it, though, she was shaking her head and going to her desk to create some proof that she had, in fact, been working the whole time.

Thank god for superspeed.

**

* * *

Clark  
Luthor Mansion  
**Clark walked into Lex's study, escorted by a security guard (for once). Lex dismissed the man and asked Clark casually, "Rory decide not to come?"

Clark nodded. "She's got homework," he explained.

Lex nodded and led Clark over to a new decoration that stood in the middle of the room – if it could be called that. A large glass box sat on top of a steel pedestal. As he drew closer, Clark saw what was inside.

It was an old, perhaps even ancient page that was covered in foreign writing and a drawing of a knight riding on a white horse. A light shone directly on it from above.

"I purchased this from a private collector in St. Petersburg," Lex told him as he studied it. "Convincing him to part with it required quite a few glasses of vodka and a small fortune," he said humorously, "but it was worth it."

Clark smiled at the tale and said, "It's very nice."

Lex didn't miss the almost patronising tone in his voice, but merely said, "Take a closer look at the border design."

Clark stepped closer to the pedestal and looked, just as he was told.

"See the embedded glyphs, similar to the Kawatche symbols found in the cave," Lex informed him quietly. Despite the phrasing, it was not a question. "And no-one's spent more time down there than you… and Rory."

The last bit sounded like an afterthought, but Clark knew that it wasn't. Years of practice allowed him to hide his shock at the Kryptonian symbols, and what they said.

Lex walked around to Clark's other side and asked, sounding innocent, "Any idea what they mean?"

"No," Clark said, just as innocently. Putting on a confused, slightly vacant expression, he said, "But I thought you weren't interested in this stuff anymore."

"Oh, I'm still interested, Clark, just not obsessed," Lex replied in a friendly tone. "Which is why I'm not keeping this from you. I'd like it if we could work on this mystery together."

A smile, and his role had been played to perfection – the martyred friend, accepting that he had done wrong and make up once again.

"I'd like that," Clark replied, smiling in return. Despite the amiable demeanour of both men, the atmosphere was tense. But Lex was a useful ally, in regular, day-to-day life as well as in the hunt for the secrets of Krypton.

And right now, keeping his friendship meant acting innocent and ignorant. "So what is it?" Clark asked, turning back to the frame.

"It's the last surviving page from a 17th century manuscript," Lex explained. He walked away from the pedestal and sat down at his desk.

Continuing his exposition speech, Lex announced, "It depicts the Grand Prince Danskov's victory over his mortal enemy Mamava at the Battle of Kulacova. Legend has it that this was the only object adorning the walls of Rasputin's chamber while he studied at the Verkhoture Monastery."

As Lex spoke, Clark followed the instruction hidden in the Kryptonian message and used his x-ray vision to look through the page. Underneath the manuscript was a second, hidden layer. It appeared to be a map of some kind, with more Kryptonian symbols on it.

"He believed this page would reveal a path to unimaginable power," Lex continued, apparently forgetting that what he was describing was a legend. "Rasputin would stare at it for days at a time, attempting to penetrate its secrets."

"It's incredible," Clark said with feeling. He reached out to take it off its pedestal, hoping to look at the back.

"Don't," Lex warned. Clark stopped as Lex elaborated, "I've had state-of-the-art security installed to protect it. I'm keeping it at the mansion for a few days before it goes into the vault at LuthorCorp."

Clark looked from the page to Lex anxiously. He needed to get a better look at that map, preferably a long one. Before he could do something about it, though, Lex's watch started beeping.

He glanced at it, then said, disappointment clear in his voice, "I'm sorry, Clark, I have an appointment. Why don't you swing by tomorrow and we'll, uh, roll up our sleeves?"  
Lex stood up and put his jacket on.

Trying to hide his unease, Clark said with a smile, "Yeah."

He turned to leave, but Lex added casually, "Oh, and see if you can tempt Rory away from the books."

Clark stopped as Lex said, still nonchalant, "I'd like to see what she thinks."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then, Clark nodded tersely and left as quickly as possible.

_Done now, Rors,_ he notified his sister. He was moment away from suggesting they meet back at the Talon when there was a burst of wind.

Irritated, he said, _Change of plans; Bart's here. I'll meetcha back home._

_Okay, _she said, at the same time as Bart said excitedly, "Dude, you know Lex Luthor?"

Clark turned around and said, making his exasperation clear, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Chloe shot me down," he said, sounding a little too casual, "but, you know, her loss. Man, this place is awesome!"

Clark rolled his eyes as Bart said, gesturing to a room further down the hall, "I mean, have you seen all the cool stuff?"

Feeling a little panicky now, Clark asked, "You were just in there?"

"Yeah, I just took a quick spin," Bart said flippantly. Noticing Clark's expression, he said reassuringly, "Don't worry about it man, he won't have a clue."

Clark glanced around before stepping closer and whispering furiously, "You gotta get out of here."

"Clark."

Turning at his name, Clark saw Lex standing there, a puzzled look on his face.

"Who are you talking to?" he inquired.

Clark turned back to Bart and saw that Bart was gone. He sighed and faced Lex once again, completely lost for words.

**

* * *

Kent Farm**  
Clark made sure he opened the door loudly when he came home. A moment later, Rory was in the kitchen too. "Anything special happen?" she asked brightly.

"Hey, Clark," Jonathan called from the lounge room.

"I saw something at Lex's," Clark said, coming further into the house so he could talk to both of them. "It was a page from an old manuscript and it had Kryptonian writing on it."

"How old?" Rory asked.

"Seventeenth century, according to Lex," Clark answered.

Rory whistled and Jonathan questioned, "What did the symbols say?"

"It was the same message, repeated over and over," Clark explained. " 'Look deeper.' I used my x-ray vision and there was a map, hidden underneath."

"Can I see?" Rory asked. Clark brought up the picture in his mind and showed her, first the original manuscript, then the map underneath.

"A map to what?" Jonathan asked.

"I don't know," Clark replied. "Any ideas, Rory?"

Rory shook her head as she blinked out of the connection. "It feels kinda like it has something to do with Jor-El, though," she said hesitantly.

Clark nodded in agreement. "And what he sent us after when he was controlling us," he finished.

"I want both of you to leave this alone," Jonathan said, suddenly stern.

"But Dad-" they said plaintively, at the same time.

"Weren't you just telling me how you want to have a normal senior year?" he asked. "How does traipsing around the globe on Jor-El's crusade fit into that?"

"It doesn't," Clark said. "But hanging out with Bart reminded me that we're not normal, Dad."

"Not to mention the Winchesters," Rory agreed. "Maybe it's time we stopped running from who we really are."

"What you both are is seventeen years old," Jonathan pointed out.

Rory huffed and looked away from him.

"Dad, it doesn't matter how old we are," Clark tried to explain. "Whatever Jor-El sent us to find, I have a feeling it's very powerful and very dangerous."

"Especially if it falls into the wrong hands," Rory interjected, "and we're the only ones who can stop that from happening."

"How?" Jonathan queried. "By stealing that manuscript from Lex?"

"No," Clark said quickly. "He has no idea what he's got."

Rory didn't agree with that – Lex might be out of the loop, but he wasn't stupid. Maybe he didn't know exactly what he had, but he definitely had an idea.

"All I have to do is sneak back in there and get a better look," Clark finished.

"Clark, it's a bad idea," Jonathan said, torn.

"He could see you," Rory elaborated. "Surely he's got security systems. Not to mention the cameras the mansion already has."

Clark looked unsure for a moment, but then he lifted his chin and said, resolve firm, "I'll be in and out before he even knows I'm there."

Rory sighed.

**

* * *

The Barn**  
Clark tore a piece of paper out of his notebook as Rory said, "You could at least take out the cameras before you just stroll in there to take a look around."

"That'll just look suspicious," Clark pointed out.

"And you, on tape, looking at the painting-"

"Manuscript."

"-won't?"

"It's a risk we gotta take," Clark said, grabbing a pen.

Before Rory could continue the argument, there was a burst of air and Bart appeared.

"Dude!" he cried, looking excited. "Lex's place was sweet! I mean, that guy's got like twenty cars man! There's no way you get that rich playing it straight. Man, I have got to step it up a notch, because that is how I wanna live."

_Can you take care of him? _Clark asked Rory silently.

Rory glared at him and sighed like a true martyr.

"Something wrong?" Bart asked, looking from one to the other.

"No, everything's fine," Clark reassured him. "I've just got some stuff I need to take care of. Why don't you hang out with Rory?"

Bart shrugged. " 'Kay."

As Clark left, he heard Bart saying to her animatedly, "Hey, there's a midnight showing of _Speed _at the Mann's Chinese Theater. The best popcorn, and Keanu rules in that one. So do you wanna go?"

"Sure," he heard Rory reply, and then he was gone.

"Awesome," Bart beamed. Rory grinned in return and started heading down the stairs.

"Hey, Rory."

She turned around as Bart said, serious for once, "I just wanted to say that it's been really cool hanging out with someone like me, you know?"

Rory smiled and nodded.

"So, uh, I got you and Clark something, just to say thanks for everything," he said cheerfully, pulling his backpack off his back and unzipping it.

"You didn't have to do that," Rory admonished him half-heartedly.

He pulled out a package and handed it to her. "It's an MP3 player," he explained. "So you can store all your favourite tunes and listen to them wherever you go."

Rory laughed and grinned at him. "Thanks!" she exclaimed. "That's really nice of you, Bart, I mean, I know you…"

She trailed off as she realised something, and her forehead furrowed. "Where'd you get this?"

Bart shifted uneasily. "I got it for you, man, it doesn't matter," he said earnestly.

"You stole it," she assumed. "Look, Bart, I can understand you not wanting to stand in line, but you could at least pay for it when you speed by."

"The store's not gonna lose money," Bart defended himself. "They're insured!"

"That doesn't make it right, Bart," Rory said sternly. She tried to give it back to him as she said, "Take it back."

"Why?" he asked sullenly. "I'm not ashamed, or anything like that. I'm perfectly happy with the way I live, and I don't need you ordering me around."

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked challengingly. "Run away again? That won't help you escape your problems, Bart."

"I'm not running away from anything," he shot back. "I'm running _towards_ something, Rory. It's called a future. Can you say as much?"

With that and a final gust of air, he was gone. Rory stared at him, frozen, for a moment. Then she shook herself and went after him.

Moments later, having not actually paid attention to where he was leading her, she found herself in Lex's study with Clark. White lights were flashing and alarms were going off.

Clark stared at her, shocked. Putting himself together, he said just one word to her;

_Run._

She obeyed without a second thought, disappearing with her own burst of displaced air. She ran past Lex and an anonymous security guard who were just coming through the door, and out of the mansion.

A moment later, she was back in the barn. It was like she'd never left, and if she tried, she could pretend she never had.

She turned and went outside, walking slowly back to the house.

As she drew closer, she could hear the phone ringing. She sprang up the stairs and, with very little effort, beat Jonathan to it. Grinning at him cheekily, she said, "Rory here."

"Hey."

It was funny how one word helped her forget the last minute, forget about Bart and Lex and the destiny Jor-El had laid out in front of her.

She turned away from Jonathan and walked up the stairs, a dreamy expression on her face. "Hey, Sam," she replied softly. "How are you?"

* * *

Later on, she found out from Clark that he'd come back home, to the barn, and found the MP3 player Bart had refused to take. Using it, he'd managed to find a guy called Hanison.

He'd found an unconscious Bart and a similarly handicapped Lex, along with Hanison and a minion. According to Clark, Bart took off with the manuscript after what he called a "scuffle".

He went to see Lex not long after that conversation. Rory still didn't quite feel up to it. When he came back, he was ecstatic; apparently, 'somebody' had deigned to return the manuscript.

Now they were up in the barn as Clark attempted to draw the map.

"That's not where that symbol goes," Rory said, pointing.

"They're my memories, I think I'd know," Clark protested.

"And that river doesn't look like a river," Rory criticised.

"I'd like to see you do better," Clark challenged, pushing the pen and paper over to her.

"Fine, I will," she said defiantly. She started drawing, focusing intently.

Clark peered over her shoulder and laughed. "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's the building in the fork of the river," she replied defensively.

"Looks more like a cow to me," Clark said innocently. Looking closer, he amended, "Sorry. A _dead_ cow."

She smacked him on the upper arm, trying not to grin.

"He's right, you know," said another, cocky voice. "It does look like a dead cow."

"Cows are beautiful animals," Rory said primly.

"I think maybe you should try out that hero thing Clark's got going on," Bart snickered. "Art is not for you."

"Speaking of art…" Rory cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Technically speaking, that wasn't art," Bart said carelessly. "Besides, carrying around all that money would've just slowed me down."

"Sure, sure," Clark accepted, grinning at his friend's bravado.

"So, Bart, got any plans for that future of yours?" Rory asked, grinning at him.

"Don't know," he shrugged. "I mean, it's a big world. I figured I'd check it out, see if there's anyone else out there like us. Maybe start a club or league or something," he joked.

"Well, when you think about it, you might as well just stick around," Clark kidded.

"All the interesting people end up in Smallville sooner or later," Rory finished, a twinkle in her eye.

Bart smiled, a hint of regret in there. "You have a great life, guys," he said. "Really. But it's not mine. There's really nothing here for me in Smallville."

"There's us," Clark said hopefully.

His smile said that he wasn't convinced. "Thanks for being my friends," he said sincerely.

"And there's nothing we can do to change your mind?" Rory asked, just as hopeful as her brother.

"Tell you what," Bart said thoughtfully. Flashing his signature grin, he said cockily, "If you can catch me, I'll think about it."

In a flash, he was gone, and they were after him.

Pushing themselves like they'd never done before, Rory just a little ahead of Clark, all three could tell that the twins were gaining on Bart. Slowly, bit by bit, they caught up to him, until Rory was just a metre behind and Clark half a metre behind her.

But then Bart turned around, running backwards. He grinned at them, and waved cheerfully – and then he gained even more speed, his entire body becoming nothing but a blur of red.

And then he was gone.

The twins stopped, in the middle of a road, far from home. Clark looked at Rory, and Rory looked back at him, identical grins on their faces.

There was a moment's pause, then Rory suggested eagerly, "Race you home?"

Clark grinned and was gone.

_Cheater!_

**

* * *

A/N For the last seven months or so, I've been planning the ending, tweaking and fiddling until I have an ending that I am satisfied with. It's probably going to disappoint a lot of you. But I'm not good at happy endings. Yeah, that was a spoiler. But nobody reads these, so it's okay. ^_^ Thanks to everybody who reads this story, cause without you I'd probably have given up a long time ago. This extra-long chapter is for you. :o) (By extra long, I mean it's seven and a half thousand words. Not kidding.)  
**

**PS – more Winchesters in the next chapter. Including Jason. I promise.  
**


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